


I Met You in the Toystore

by Aerona13



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, M/M, but still musical, no Niall - Freeform, non-1D, not gonna give anything away, pregnant!Harry, sorry - Freeform, splash of Ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 12:50:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1511162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerona13/pseuds/Aerona13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis works in Toys'R'Us and finds Harry studying two kinds of baby formulas like it's the most important decision in the world. How can he resist?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Louis was currently spaced out, trying to come up with a melodic line to fit his latest lyrics. He was supposed to be putting away items from the returns desk, but there weren't many people taking time early on a Thursday afternoon to return unwanted toys. There were also few people out shopping for toys early on a Thursday afternoon, so he was just wandering the aisles absently straightening or picking up anything he noticed.   
Working the afternoon shift at Toys'R'Us was currently Louis' version of the perfect job. It paid well enough for him to keep a decent flat with his best mate, Zayn. It left him free in the evenings to go out to the pubs and try to get his songs discovered by some big-shot record producer.   
And doing the actual job didn't suck. He loved kids, so helping their parents pick out the perfect toys was always a pleasant time, particularly when the kid was there, too.   
He turned the corner into the baby section of the store and stopped short at the sight that greeted him. A young man was standing by the baby formula, a different brand in each large hand. Louis could see him biting his full bottom lip as he read first one label, then the other, and then looked at a third still on the shelf directly in front of him before shaking his head and rereading them all again.  
Louis couldn't help but grin; it was probably the cutest thing he'd ever seen. And not just because he liked the way the boy looked in his baggy, oversized gray jumper and dark blue skinny jeans. It wasn't often they got young men in the store unaccompanied. Most of the time they were being very obviously dragged along. So, to see this one so concerned about choosing the right baby formula, it just made Louis' day.  
Backing up around the corner to make sure he wasn't noticed, Louis ran his fingers through his fringe, trying to make the feathery brown hair stylishly messy without looking styled. He straightened his clothes and the strode back into the aisle.  
“You look like you could use some help,” he said, putting on his best charming smile.  
The other man, a boy really, now that Louis got a good look at his still slightly pudgy cheeks, jumped and the formula in his hands went flying. Both watched in awe as the canisters seemed to float to the ground before bursting into twin clouds of powder.  
“Oops.” The unknown boy looked sheepishly over at Louis even as the dust settled, covering their legs with dehydrated milk product.  
Louis couldn't help laughing. “Hi! That's all I was trying to say, really. No need to attack me,” he said jokingly. “I'm Louis.”  
“Harry.” The other boy held out a hand to shake Louis', making Louis laugh again. “Sorry about...” He gestured down to the mess. “Do you have something I can clean this up with?”  
“'S alright,” Louis waved it off, enraptured by Harry's slow drawl. “I'll just get a broom or something later.”  
“No, really. I'll clean it up. It's my fault.”  
Louis just raised an eyebrow; Harry seemed serious about it. Holding up a hand, he told Harry to wait a moment while he grabbed the cleaning cart. Two minutes later, he was holding the dust bin as Harry efficiently swept up all of the formula.  
“There. Okay. Bye.” Harry quickly handed over the broom and turned to leave.   
Louis couldn't help feeling like he was fleeing from embarrassment. “Hey, wait!” he called. “You were looking for something, weren't you?” But Harry was already at the other end of the aisle, heading straight for the door. “Huh.”  
Carrying the broom and dust pan back into the break room, Louis sat down to brush the formula off his jeans. He wondered if Harry was ever going to come back to get the formula he was obviously debating over.

It wasn't until the following Tuesday that Louis again saw Harry. Standing up by the customer service desk, he was commiserating about how slow the day had been with the girl who worked there, Eleanor, when he saw the lanky figure he'd been waiting for.   
Harry was wearing the same gray jumper as before, only this time with black jeans that emphasized his long legs. And he wore his curly brown hair pulled back with a gray bandana that, if Louis saw right, had hearts printed on it.  
Making sure Harry saw him coming, Louis headed over. “Hello again. Back for that formula?”  
Harry blushed and looked down at his feet, hands clasped behind his back. “Um, I'm really just looking, to be honest.”  
“I see. Well, let me help you just look, then, okay? Least you can do after abandoning me like you did.”  
Harry looked up, shocked, and then slowly grinned when he saw that Louis was joking. Louis wondered if everything Harry did was slow. Putting the thought that could easily turn naughty out of his head, he gestured for Harry to follow him.   
“If you were looking at formula, I guess you're more interested in baby things, so we can just skip over the toddler and preschool aisles,” Louis started, pointing out the aisles as they passed like he was giving a tour of the store. “Here we have everything for the infants, from newborn to twelve months. What age are you interested in, Harry?”  
“Um, newborn, I guess.”  
“Ah, perfect. Start right, right from the beginning, I always say.” Louis knew he was being outrageous, but something about the other boy just seemed to call for it. Maybe he was compensating for Harry being so shy? He turned to look at Harry straight on. “I'm going to be nosy,” he said bluntly. “Are you shopping for a girlfriend?” Harry shook his head without a word.   
“Ahh, so you're being a good son and doing the shopping for your mother.” Louis could have danced; Harry didn't have a girlfriend.  
“No.”  
“Sister? Aunt?” Louis started getting confused when Harry just kept shaking his head. “Are you looking at baby things just because you're bored?” he asked. It was the only other explanation he could think of.  
“Not exactly.” Harry looked down again, but this time his hands rested gently on his stomach, making the jumper show an outline of an obvious baby-bump.  
Louis' jaw dropped. “You're the one who's pregnant?” Was Harry really a boy?  
The question must have been in his voice because Harry went on to explain. “The doctor says it's not really as rare as you'd think. Usually, men just can't carry a baby long enough for them to even realize they're pregnant. The doctor explained all the medical stuff but I didn't really understand except that...well...I'm having a baby.”  
“Wow. Just...wow.” Louis had no idea what to say. But he knew he needed to say something because Harry was starting to fidget and Louis was afraid he was getting ready to bolt again. “Well, since this baby's gonna be so special, it definitely needs the very best, right from the beginning. How far are you?” He tried to be casual and saw Harry relaxing slightly.   
“About twelve weeks they think. It's hard to tell with men.”  
Louis looked over. He knew a thing or two about pregnancies since his mum was a midwife. “Why are you looking for this stuff, now? It's not going to do you any good for months yet.”  
Harry blushed again and Louis wondered why he was so fascinated by it. “Well, I have a bit of money left over from my paycheck after rent so I thought I'd stock up a little at a time. Formula doesn't expire that fast, does it?”  
“No, not really.” Louis got confused again. Harry looked barely legal. Shouldn't he still be living at home? Especially now that he was pregnant? But it wasn't like Louis could ask about that since they'd only just met.  
Since money was tight from what Harry's words implied, Louis subtly moved his hand away from the brand-name formula he'd been about to suggest, instead picking up the generic form of the same type. “I'd suggest this one. Just as good but half the price.”  
“But...” Harry looked around at the shelves and shelves of formula. “How do you know that's the best?”  
Louis cleared his throat importantly. “Trust me. I'm an expert.” Harry just looked at him until Louis smiled. “I've been working here a while and this is the one most people buy?” he tried, making Harry smile back. “And it a general kind of formula. Unless you know you're baby's going to need certain extra supplements, there's no need to get a different formula. Like,” he reached up and grabbed one, “this had extra iron. And this one,” he grabbed a second, “is for babies that suffer from colic. Did the doctor give any indication of needing things like this?”  
“No. Said they wouldn't know that for a while.”  
Louis put back all of the formula. “Then I'd recommend not getting any kind until they know. No use buying formula you won't be able to feed your baby.”  
“But...” Harry started, but closed his mouth when Louis held up a hand.  
“Not to worry. If you want to slowly stock up, there are things you can get where the type won't affect your baby. Bottles, for example. And diapers. Definitely stock up on diapers.” He remembered that was the advice his mum gave to all of her new patients.  
Louis led the way to the diaper aisle and helped Harry pick out the best available at a price he could afford. Though, Louis tried not to make it obvious that he was picking out the cheapest ones, because he could feel that Harry was embarrassed about his money problems.  
When Louis turned to leave Harry at the check out line, Harry stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. “Thank you. For everything.”  
“I'm at your service,” Louis said with a sweeping bow. “I work every weekday at this time, so be sure to come back and see me.”  
Harry just smiled and turned back to the woman telling him his total.  
After Harry'd left, Louis went back to the customer service desk and Eleanor. He sighed as he propped his chin on his hands, elbows resting on the counter.  
“Honey, you are so gone,” Eleanor laughed.  
“What does that mean?”  
“It means I've known you for months and, yeah, I've seen you crush on some guys, but I've never seen you moon over one like you did that guy.”  
“I did not moon!” Louis protested. Did he?  
“'I'm at your service'? 'Come back and see me'? How many times have you even seen him? Do you know his name?”  
“It's Harry and I met him last week. He's the one who dropped the formula. Remember, I told you about it?”  
“Right. The cute guy who ran away after cleaning the store. You must really like him if you'd still talk to him after he dropped baby formula on you.”  
“He didn't drop it on me. And I'm going away, now.” He headed back to the aisles, fully aware that he was making a cowardly retreat.   
He didn't like Harry more than any other guy before. He didn't. Did he?


	2. Chapter 2

Zayn practically pounced on Louis when he walked into their flat. “Get changed. Wear something hipsterish,” he ordered, pushing the shorter boy toward his bedroom.  
“No, Zayn,” Louis protested. “I don't feel like going out tonight. I just want to write.” He'd had lyrics stuck in his head for the last two hours of his shift after Harry had left.  
“This isn't a choice. This is a gig.”  
“Huh?” Louis froze. “A gig?”  
“Yes. A friend from work mentioned that the club he hangs out in has an open-mic night tonight.”  
“It's Tuesday. What club has open-mic on Tuesday?”  
“I know, but that makes it perfect. Apparently, it's their first time and they're just trying it out. And, rumor has it, they're looking for a new weeknight act.”  
“Where is it?” Louis was warming up to the idea.  
“West End.”  
Louis nearly moaned. A regular spot playing a club in the West End. It would be a huge step for his music. “Fine. Can you call and see if they still have a spot open?”  
“Already did. You're going last so we can check out your competition.” Zayn grinned when Louis slanted him a look.  
“What are you, my manager?”  
“Hey, someone's gotta take care of your schedule. You'd still be strumming guitar in coffee shops on poetry night if I didn't start setting up open-mics for you.”  
“Bite me,” Louis muttered as he went into his bedroom to get changed.   
“Already tried that, remember?” Zayn called. “You're not my type!”  
Louis laughed as he tried to figure out what Zayn meant by “hipsterish.” Since the darker boy worked in a modern art gallery, he had a much closer view of the current fashion styles than Louis did. And being gay didn't automatically make him fashion-fluent.  
“What the hell am I supposed to wear?” he shouted.  
Zayn merely walked in, ignored the fact that Louis was in just a pair of boxers, and pulled out an outfit. “This.” And walked back out again.  
Louis didn't really understand what made his clothes “hipster” but shrugged it off. He quite liked the way the turquoise pants and striped shirt hugged his body. And he liked to think the horizontal stripes made him look larger than he truly was. He wished a (very) late growth spurt would hit and he'd at least reach five-ten, like Zayn.  
The last item Zayn had thrust at him made him pause before leaving his bedroom. “What the hell, Z? Why'd you give me a scarf? It's almost summer!”  
“Just go with it!” Zayn's voice rang out from their shared bathroom and Louis followed it.  
He pouted seeing Zayn dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket over a plain white t-shirt and skin-tight black jeans. “How come I can't wear something like that?”  
Zayn paused in styling his hair to perfection. “If you actually had something like this in your wardrobe, you could. But all you've got is that.” He used his elbow to indicate Louis' clothes.  
Louis pouted again. “Fine.” He wound the scarf once around his neck and left the long ends hanging down his chest. He looked at himself in the mirror. “Hipsters look stupid, apparently.”  
Zayn quickly rinsed the gel from his fingers even as he burst out laughing. “You look like an idiot!”  
“Perfect,” Louis huffed. “My manager's sending me out on an important gig looking like an idiot.”  
“No, I'm really not.” The dark boy undid the scarf. “Here. It's supposed to be looped like this. Kinda like a cloth necklace.” He suited actions to words and then turned Louis back to face the mirror. “There. Idiot Louis instantly replaced by Hipster Louis.”  
Looking at himself, Louis had to admit the scarf added just a little something to the outfit and made him look even better (because he always looked good). His fringe had gone a bit floppy after working a full shift, but that, too, suited the look.   
“If you're done ogling yourself, are you ready to leave?”  
Louis cocked a fist on his hip and raised an eyebrow at his best mate. “Really? You are accusing me of being vain? You? Mr. I-can't-leave-the-flat-if-a-hair-is-out-of-place?”  
“That's exactly what I'm saying. Get your shoes on and let's go. I really want to see what you're up against.”  
Starting to pull on his white Toms, Louis stopped. “Can I wear these?”  
“Sure,” Zayn shrugged.  
Since his pants were slightly too long, Louis rolled the cuffs up a few times before standing and holding his arms out to give Zayn one last look at the complete outfit. “Am I hipster enough?”  
“As much as a twink like you will ever be,” Zayn said dryly as he pushed Louis out the door.  
Three hours later, Louis floated down from the stage. He always felt this rush after any kind of performance and this time was no different. Though he'd only played a few covers, which he'd rearranged to more fully suit his style, the crowd seemed to love it.  
Zayn was waiting at the bottom of the steps to greet him with a massive hug and a back pounding that had Louis stumbling but never losing his smile. “Mate, that was wicked! Listen to them!”  
It was true. The crowd was still cheering and shouting his name so loud Zayn had to shout directly into Louis' ear to be heard. Spotting an unoccupied chair, Louis allowed his legs to buckle into it. “Wow.”  
“Wow's right, mate. They're louder for you than they were for that blonde soprano with her tits and ass hanging out. I think you're gonna get lucky this time, Lou.”  
“With the soprano?” Louis asked cheekily.  
Zayn was too used to Louis and no longer reacted. “If you suddenly swing that way. Get your breath back. We're gonna hang around by the bar to make sure the manager can find you and offer the job.”  
“Bit optimistic, aren't you?” Now that he was coming down from his high, all Louis could think of were his mistakes. He hadn't quite hit that high note in the first song. And he'd completely flubbed that last bridge.  
“Trust me, mate. This is it. The first step.” Zayn pulled Louis to his feet and slung an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders, guiding the way to the bar.  
When they stumbled toward the door an hour later, Louis was seriously considering making Zayn his manager officially. Not twenty minutes after finishing his set, a man in a suit came up and offered Louis a four nights a week contract to play in the club; Monday through Thursday.  
Louis had managed to calmly discuss the contract terms right there at the bar before signing, waiting until the suit was gone before he gave a little shriek and jumped into Zayn's arms. “This is...Oh my God! Did you hear...They want me to...And the money!”  
Zayn had no problem translating. “I know, it's great. I did hear. You'll have no problem handling this, Lou. You deserve everything they're offering.”  
“Shot!” Louis suddenly shouted, turning to the grinning bartender who'd overheard everything. “We need to celebrate!”  
A moment later, there were three shots between them. “First one's on the house to say welcome to the family. I'm Nick, by the way.”  
Louis waited for the burn in his throat to lessen before saying, “Hello, Nick. I'm Louis. This is my mate, Zayn. You'll prolly be seeing him a lot, too. Can I get another?” He held out his glass.  
“Of course.” Nick laughed and waited until both Zayn and Louis had taken their shots. “Mate, huh?”  
“Yep,” Louis chirped. “Flat mate. Best mate. Zayn's my mate.”  
Nick poured a third round and once again waited, a look in his eye that had the hairs on the back of Zayn's neck standing up; Louis was oblivious, the alcohol already going to his head and bringing on a giggling attack. It was after a fourth shot that Nick spoke again.  
“Nothing else going on between you two, then?”  
Louis kept giggling. “Nope. Tried, but he's not my type. We're better mates.” Something out of the corner of his eye caught Louis' attention and he spun around, missing the speculative look in Nick's eye. Nick and Zayn watched as he darted into the crowd without a word.  
Zayn slowly put his shot glass down and looked soberly at the bartender. “You're not his type, either. I wouldn't even bother trying.”  
Nick raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the challenge. “We'll see.”  
Louis peered through the bodies packed on the dance floor, searching for the one he was sure he'd seen. There! Short and curly chocolate brown hair held back in a headband bobbed to the music over the crowd. The lean body was covered by a tank top and a sheer and sparkly pull on.  
Pushing through the bodies, Louis grabbed an arm and spun the person around, ready to demand why Harry was in the club in his condition. Startled brown eyes looked down on him and Louis choked on his words.  
“Oh, um, sorry. Thought you were someone else.” The girl just nodded and looked after him as he ran off in embarrassment.  
When Louis returned to the bar, Nick was off serving others and Zayn stood casually watching the dance floor, nursing a beer. “Ready to go?”  
In answer, Zayn just set down his half-finished drink and fished out his wallet.

The next morning, Louis stumbled into the kitchen and set the kettle to boil. He was sitting at their scarred dining table, aching head pillowed on his forearms, when Zayn came in with a cheerful, “Morning!”  
Louis groaned. “Did last night really happen? It wasn't a drunk dream?” He looked up when Zayn set a mug in front of him, Yorkshire Tea bag already steeping.  
“It happened. Signed the contract and everything. And all cold sober. Drunk came later.”  
“Huh.” It was all Louis could think to say.  
Zayn laughed. “I'm glad your song lyrics are more eloquent than that.”  
“Bite me. Remind me not to do shots with Nick again, okay?”  
Zayn sat across the table and made Louis sit up a bit straighter in response to the serious look in his eye. “I think you should stay away from Nick altogether, actually.”  
“Why?”  
“He's interested in you. Got that look in his eye when he found out we're not dating.”  
“Nick?” Louis shuddered. He knew the look Zayn was talking about. “Eww. He's like, in his thirties. Way too old.”  
“Just giving you a heads up because you didn't notice last night.”  
“Thanks, mate. Good to know you've got my back against old creepers.” The tea had steeped long enough and Louis raised the mug to his lips only to lower it again when he saw something like guilt cross his friend's face. “What?”  
“With this contract and your day job, you're practically rolling in money, now, aren't you?”  
“I guess,” Louis said slowly. “Do you need me to cover more of the rent this month? Is the gallery going to cut your hours or something?”  
“No. No, it's not that. It's just...Liam's asked me to move in with him,” Zayn admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck.  
Louis' jaw dropped. “That's great! Oh my God, that's so great! I'm so happy for you.”  
Zayn had met Liam more than a year before at an art show for reinterpretations of comic book heroes and villains. Liam had bought one of Zayn's pieces and they'd immediately clicked when Zayn went to deliver it. The relationship had slowly been moving forward from there. Louis knew that, since Liam was the responsible, sensible, think-everything-to-death type, the invitation for Zayn to move in was almost a proposal of marriage.  
The darker boy's eyes lit up at Louis' excitement. He'd been dreading bringing the subject up all week but it was all he could think about. “Really? You think I should?”  
Louis looked at him like he was stupid. “Of course you should. You love him, don't you?”  
“Well, yeah, duh. But that's not what I meant. I'll be leaving you here alone.” He'd almost turned Liam down, refusing to leave Louis stuck with the full rent.  
“Nah,” Louis waved that away. “I'll miss you, of course, but I'm a big boy. And you said it. After last night, full rent won't be a problem. If I get lonely, I'll just ask Nick to move in.” He grinned and winked cheekily when Zayn scowled. “But, seriously, you should definitely start packing up to move cause I'm making your room into a studio.”  
Zayn laughed. “Thanks, mate. Appreciate it.”  
“Any time. Besides, without Daddy here to judge, I might find a nice young boy to bring home.” Louis wondered why Harry popped into his head at the thought.   
Pushing up from the table, Zayn reached over and mussed Louis' hair. “Just remember, Daddy still has to approve of any young men. And Liam will, too, probably.”  
Louis groaned and let his head fall back to his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, or whatever.  
> All mistakes are my own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll say this at the beginning so I don't have to put it in every chapter. I've never been pregnant; I've never been around someone who's pregnant. Anything that happens in Harry's pregnancy that doesn't fit real life? Blame it on him being a guy, 'kay? Too much research dims the creative process in my mind.

It had been a week and Louis wondered what he doing, thinking he could handle having two jobs. He hadn't realized singing in a club could be so tiring. But he honestly loved it. And, if it wasn't for making rent, he probably would have left Toys'R'Us to focus only on his music.  
He put away the thought of leaving and smiled as, like clockwork, Harry walked through the front door. Louis couldn't help but wonder how the other boy managed those long limbs of his. He took in the familiar gray jumper and skinny jeans, pumped up by a bright green head-scarf this time; is that look what Zayn would call hipsterish?   
No, leaving would mean not seeing Harry anymore. He was staying.  
Harry didn't hesitate in smiling and walking right up to Louis. “Fancy meeting you here,” he joked.  
“Must be fate,” Louis replied. “Come on, curly, got something to show you.” They walked side by side toward the baby section. “So, just curious, where do you work? Maybe we can accidentally meet up there next.”  
“Oh, uh, you know that bakery a couple blocks over?”  
Louis thought a moment. “The one with all the little old ladies sitting inside drinking tea?” He'd never been inside and couldn't even remember what it was called.  
“Yeah, that one. One of the old ladies used to be a neighbor back home and, when she found out I'm living in London, now, she gave me the job. It's not hard and they're all super excited about the baby. And I like cooking, too.” Harry blushed, realizing that Louis hadn't asked for any of that information.  
“Sounds nice, actually.” Louis gently nudged Harry with his elbow. “And grannies make the best babysitters. You've got it made.”  
“Yeah, maybe.”  
They reached the spot Louis had been aiming for and, checking to make sure none of his coworkers could see, he shoved a huge box containing a four-way convertible crib out of the way, revealing an empty space. Or, it would have been empty if Louis hadn't been slowly filling it with things for Harry.  
Most of the time, if something was returned open, the price was marked down, even if the contents hadn't been touched. So, since it was his job to put back returns, Louis kept an eye out for anything Harry might need, or even like. And he hid them all away.  
Inside the hollowed out area, there was a taped up package of bottles and two packages of spare nipples. Bending down to retrieve them, he presented them to Harry with a smile. Seeing the confused green eyes, he explained why they were cheap.  
“See, I'm really not supposed to do this,” he finished. “But I didn't want to take a chance that someone else would grab them before you got here.”  
Harry stared at Louis for a moment before a massive smile exploded on his face, showing off dimples Louis wanted to poke his fingers into. “That is...really sweet, Louis. Thank you.”  
“Just shh. Don't tell anyone. And if I'm ever not here when you come in, check this spot to see if I left you anything.”  
“What do you mean?” Harry didn't like to think why but these shopping trips were the best part of his week. Seeing Louis and preparing for his baby. “Are they changing your hours?” Maybe he could come in before his shift instead of after. He hoped he wouldn't have to start coming on weekends; as he got bigger, more and more people were starting to stare.  
“No, they're not,” Louis assured him. “It's just, I got another job. In the evenings. And, if this week is any indication of how tired I'll be, I might actually have to start using my vacation and sick time.”  
“Oh.” Harry wanted to ask about the other job but felt awkward. “Congratulations on the job.”  
“Thanks,” Louis beamed. “I really like singing and it's amazing the club hired me, really.”  
Harry jerked. “You're singing in a club?”  
“Yeah, why?”  
“Nothing, really,” Harry tried to lie but Louis merely raised an eyebrow in askance. “Well, it's just cool. I was in a band in school.”  
“Me, too!” They both laughed. “We sucked, honestly, but we had fun. The Rogue. That's what we called ourselves. How stupid, right?”  
Harry crossed his arms in challenge and simply said, “White Eskimo.”  
Louis giggled, covering his mouth. “Okay, curly, you've got me there.”  
Someone discreetly cleared their throat nearby and both boys turned to see a young woman standing there holding a baby carrier. “Can you help me, please?”  
“Of course.” Louis was completely unapologetic as he headed over to see what she needed.  
Harry stared at the tiny body sleeping in the carrier, blue beanie pulled over the bald head and a pacifier perched precariously in the small cupid's bow mouth. He rested his hands on his stomach and wondered what gender his baby was going to be.   
The woman shifted the carrier to her other hand and brought Harry's attention to it. The handle was padded for the comfort of the person carrying it. Soft toys hung down to catch the baby's attention if needed. And the inside was covered in an adorable design of baby farm animals.   
It looked entirely too expensive for Harry's budget.  
Turning away from the woman, Harry thought maybe the world was ganging up on him. Right there on the shelf was the carrier he'd just admired. With a price equal to what his tiny one-room flat cost per week. Maybe he'd ask Barbara where a decent second-hand or charity store was. He'd have to get the big things he needed there.  
Louis was back at his side before Harry could get too depressed about not being able to provide his baby with the best. The shorter boy looked over curious to see what Harry was staring at.   
And snorted. “What a crock. Can you image paying that much for something you're only gonna use for a few months? Mum nearly threw a fit when someone tried to buy her two when the twins were born.”  
Harry looked over and saw that Louis was being completely serious. “You have siblings?” he asked.  
“Four little sisters. Lucky me, huh? What about you?”  
“Just an older sister.” But Harry wanted to hear more. “So, your mum didn't use carriers?”  
Louis gave him an odd look. “'Course she did. Can you imagine her trying to shop carrying two babies and handling three other kids?”  
“But...you said...” Harry was confused.  
“Oh,” and Louis suddenly understood. “She made her own. Found a way on the Internet or something. She used a shopping basket – stole it, I think, honestly – and then sewed her own padding and pillow and all. Probably cost about a quarter of that thing,” he pointed to the boxed carrier, “and she was able to personalize the fabric for each baby.”  
“Wow. That sounds...amazing. I wish I could do things like that.”  
Louis was silent for a moment. “Do you want me to ask if she can make one for you? She does sometimes if one of her patients asks.” Not really, but he was sure he could convince his mum to do it. “All you'd have to do is supply the fabric; I can get the basket.”  
Harry felt tears welling in his eyes and hoped he could blame them on his hormones. Because he feared he'd start sobbing if he opened his mouth, he just nodded.  
“So, ready to check out? My boss might start to notice me standing here with you too long.”  
“Right.” Clearing his throat, Harry looked down at the bottles and nipples in his hands. Doing the math quickly in his head, he grinned. “Actually, I still have a bit more money this week. Is there anything else I should get?”  
Since Louis planned to talk to his mum about other things she could make, he decided not to show Harry some of the things he was thinking of. He grinned and Harry answered with a matching one.  
“Diapers,” they said together.

Louis didn't have a chance to visit Harry at the bakery until two weeks later. He'd planned on going the Saturday after finding out where Harry worked, but inspiration had struck and he'd managed to write an entire song, music and everything, in his two days off.   
He was aware of at least two pairs of wrinkled eyes watching him as he headed straight to the counter. “Is Harry here?” he asked, trying not to fidget under the intense look the woman was giving him.   
“And who are you, dear?” The pleasant voice somehow held a coldness and Louis wondered what was going on.  
“Um..I'm Louis.”  
The tension in the small shop vanished so quickly that Louis wondered if he'd only imagined it.  
“You're that sweet boy that's been helping our Harry with his baby shopping.”  
Louis felt awkward again. “Yeah. That's me. Can I talk to him?” He wanted to ask Harry to come fabric shopping since his mum agreed to bring out her old sewing machine.  
“I'm sorry, dear. He's not here. He went to the clinic.”  
Louis didn't want to wonder what the sudden ice in his veins meant. “What happened?” he demanded. “Is he okay? The baby?”  
The ladies sitting at the small table being him started tittering. “Now, Barbara, you're being cruel to the poor lad.” Louis turned to look at the speaker and saw the first woman, Barbara, smile wickedly out of the corner of his eye. “Harry's at the clinic for a standard check-up, love. Nothing to be worried about. He goes every two weeks.”  
The young man felt like a vise released from his heart. “Thank you.”  
Barbara came around the counter. “Sit down, dear. He should be back in about half an hour. You can talk to him them. Would you care for some tea?”  
Getting the feeling that he really didn't have a choice, Louis cautiously lowered into the last of the four chairs. “Yes, please,” he answered, only so he'd have something to do with his hands. He was sitting with all three ladies between him and the door so he couldn't just bolt away. He thought that this must be what it felt like to be questioned by the police, only if the police were old women who smelled of lavender and fresh bread.  
There was silence until Barbara came back with a tray with teapot and four china cups. “So, Louis, what are your intentions with our Harry?”  
Louis choked on his tea and sputtered as the other two turned on Barbara.  
“We agreed to be subtle, Barb!”  
“Are you trying to kill the lad?”  
Barbara shrugged and whacked Louis on the back until he could breathe again. “We don't have time to be subtle, Caro. Harry will be back soon.” She looked expectantly at Louis. “Well, dear?”  
“Intentions?” Louis squeaked.  
“Yes. Why are you being so nice to him? Most lads your age would turn that sweet boy away because of something out of his control.”  
“Um...I don't know,” Louis said honestly. “I just saw him in the store and he looked so confused. I wanted to help.” He saw speculation and a little disbelief in their eyes and got annoyed. “Look, yes, I think he's hot. Anyone with eyes would. But that's not why I'm helping him. He's nice and funny and, yes, sweet.” When all he received were smiles, he continued. “What happened? Why isn't he living at home? Where's the other father?”  
“Have you asked Harry those questions?” Caro asked.  
“No, because every time I start to, it's like he shuts down. I don't want that to happen.”  
It was as if the three ladies held a conversation with their eyes. Then Louis realized he must have passed some kind of test because Barbara started speaking.  
“We don't know anything about the other father. All Harry ever says is he was never in the picture, so there's no point talking about him. But Harry's family...” she tsked and sipped her tea. “Let me just say it's a good thing he's not living there. Not if all he received were the venomous words he's let slip the few times he's talked about them. No, that would not be a good environment for our Harry or the baby.”  
“But at least he'd have a decent roof over his head, Barb,” the woman Louis didn't have a name for said quietly, like she didn't want to say it but had to.  
“What do you mean?” Louis interrupted. “He's got a flat. He told me it's fine.” He didn't think Harry had lied about that and he was getting better at seeing Harry's lies.  
“Fine if you don't care about him living next to drug dealers and loose women,” Caro snorted.  
Barbara sighed, unable to argue. “Unfortunately, it's all he can afford and I can't afford to pay him any more than I already do. And he already tires easily just working here, so another job is out of the question, if he could even find one willing to take a pregnant eighteen year old boy.”  
Louis stared hard at his tea. Zayn had finished moving the last of his things just that morning, so Louis had a spare room. And, since Zayn hadn't spent the night in over a week, Louis admitted he missed having someone there when he got home or when he just wanted to cuddle on the couch. Just the night before, he'd actually thought about looking for a new flatmate. But he didn't want to say anything to these ladies he'd just met.  
He thought of something and looked up. “When I came in, you weren't happy about me asking about Harry. Why?”  
“Remember the drug dealers and loose women?” Caro asked; Louis nodded, secretly loving the phrase. “Last week, Harry thought he saw someone following him here from his flat. And you said yourself. Anyone with eyes would find Harry attractive.”  
For the second time in less than an hour, Louis' blood ran cold at the thought of something happening to Harry. Just as Louis made up his mind to convince Harry to move in with him, the door to the bakery opened.  
Harry stopped with one foot in the door at the sight of Louis sitting for tea with Barbara and the others. “Um...hello?”  
Barbara stood and waved for Harry to take her seat next to Louis as she walked behind the counter to get a fifth cup. “Hello, Harry, dear. How did the check up go?”  
“Fine.” He was still curious what Louis was doing there, but talking about his baby was a good distraction. “Everything's healthy as far as the doctor could tell. She says she might even be able to get the ultrasound to work next time to see if it's a boy or girl. I did get to hear the heartbeat, though!” There was something else the doctor said but she told him she wasn't sure so told him not to get too excited yet. “Oh, she did say I need to eat more. Fruits and vegetables,” he added quickly with a grin when Barbara opened her mouth. “So no need to give me even more 'free samples.'”  
But the woman just smiled back. “It's finally summer. About time to bring back those nice fruit tarts. And I'm sure I can find a few no-sugar-added recipes, too.” She patted him on the knee and turned to the third woman. “What do you think, Dee? Maybe we can find some early zucchinis for bread?”  
Louis couldn't restrain his smile, so he hid it behind his tea cup when Harry gave in with a roll of his eyes. Now he knew why he'd been questioned. Harry might not be their blood, but he was their family. A favorite grandson.  
“Now, Harry, you stay right here. Me and the girls need to go check on the oven. This nice young man came by to talk to you.”  
Harry grinned ruefully as the three went tittering into the back. “Sorry about them.”  
“Don't be. They care about you.”  
“Yeah, well, I've known Barb since I was a kid. The others just kinda came along with her.” Harry felt a bit embarrassed about how they treated him. “So...you wanted to talk to me?”  
“Yeah. My mum says she'll make you that carrier we talked about. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go shopping for fabric, but I guess you'll want to wait 'til you know if it's a boy or girl.”  
Harry smiled, once again touched by how sweet Louis was being. “Actually, I'd like to just look first. See how much it'll cost, you know?” He thought he heard a snort come from the kitchen and turned to look but there was nothing. “But I'm still on shift a couple more hours. Do you want to come back?” He couldn't ask Louis to wait around for him.  
Louis didn't answer immediately, waiting to see if Barbara would appear since he was positive she was listening just inside the kitchen door. Sure enough, she opened the door just seconds later.  
“Harry, dear. It's been so slow today. If you have plans for later, I have no problem letting you go early. Full day's pay, of course.”  
Harry's green eyes lit up and Louis wondered how the boy could be so innocently oblivious. “Really? Are you sure? But, I thought you were going to need help with that big order for tomorrow.”  
Barbara waved his concerns aside. “I'm sure the three of us can manage. Though, if you're with Louis, here, I might call to have him help load the van.”  
“Actually, Louis just asked if I wanna go shopping, so I will be with him.”  
“Perfect. You'll stay by our Harry in case we need a strong man, won't you, Louis?”  
Louis mentally rolled his eyes. “Of course.”  
“Barb, you can't expect Louis to do that. He doesn't work here!” Harry protested.  
But Louis just grabbed Harry's hand and gave a little squeeze. “It's okay. Got nothing else to do today, anyway.”  
“There. All settled. Off you go, dears.” She shooed them out the door and, when Louis glanced back through the window, he saw the three ladies giving each other high-fives.  
“Um, Louis?” Harry stood awkwardly on the pavement, feet together and hands clasped behind his back. The stance had Harry's gray jumper stretching over his baby-bump and made Louis want to coo at him. “Why are you doing this?”  
“Taking you fabric shopping? Because my mum's gonna make you that carrier.”  
“No. I mean, why are you being so nice to me? At the store and, now, hanging around the bakery. Why?”  
Louis sighed. He couldn't get around it. “You're my friend. I always help my friends out and spend time with them.”  
“But you don't really know me.”  
“Didn't know Zayn before Uni and he's my best mate, now. Have you known all your friends since birth?”  
Harry shook his head. “Guess not. So, where's this fabric place.”  
Louis grabbed Harry's hand and started leading him down the street. “Just follow me. Mum told me about a place she knows.”  
He didn't let go of Harry's hand until they reached the shop and he pointed the younger boy off with instructions on what kind of fabric to look for. While Harry went to browse, Louis went up to the woman at the register. “Excuse me.”  
“Yes, can I help you?”  
“I was wondering. Do you have some kind of mailing list to get coupons or something?”  
The woman just looked at him a moment. “Do a lot of sewing?” she asked.  
Louis grinned, having expected it. “My mum. She broke her leg so spends all day at the machine.”  
The lie lessened the suspicion and the woman brought out a form. “Fill this out. You'll get a fifteen percent discount to use today and the first mailer will arrive in a few weeks.”  
“Great.” Louis quickly filled in the form, using his mum's name, but his own flat's address. He accepted the coupon in return and wandered over to where Harry was carefully fingering a bolt of fabric. “See anything you like?”  
“A few. Are you sure this is cheaper than buying a ready made one? How much fabric does your mum need? How much does she charge?”  
“Surprisingly little and nothing at all.” Louis laughed when Harry glared at him. “Mum said to get two meters of fabric just to be safe. She still has some of that padding stuff left over, so there's no need to buy that. And she's doing it as a favor to me so...” He looked at the price on the fabric Harry was still absently fingering. “about seven pounds, total. Compared to the sixty pounds for the one we saw.”  
“No, Louis,” Harry said, more firmly than Louis had ever heard him speak. “I'm not gonna let your mum do this for free. It sounds like a lot of work and I do have money. I'm going to pay her.”  
Louis didn't bother arguing. “Okay. I'll ask how much she usually charges her patients.” But that didn't mean he had to tell Harry the full amount. “Have you found the fabric you like? One for a girl, one for a boy, just in case?”  
“Yeah.” Harry seemed reluctant to leave that one bolt.  
Louis gently guided him out the door before giving himself a gentle forehead slap. “Stupid. Mum asked me to get her some stuff to make the twins school bags. Gimme about ten minutes? Wait for me there?” He pointed to the coffee shop across the street.  
Harry agreed and Louis went back inside, watching through the window until the tall boy crossed the street and disappeared from view. He grabbed the bolt Harry had obviously loved and carried it to the cutting counter. The same woman was there and again gave him the eye, though this time was a bit friendlier.  
“Being sneaky?” she asked.  
“I want it to be a surprise,” he shrugged. “How much is left?”  
Silently, she unrolled the bolt and measured. “Five and a half meters.”  
Louis quickly did the math. And smiled. “Perfect. I'll take it all.” Even if it wasn't used for the carrier, he was sure there were other things that could be made that would last longer. The design was simple enough that even large items wouldn't be too busy.   
He grinned as he handed over the coupon from earlier and got a small head shake from the woman as she scanned it.  
“Thanks!” he said as she handed him the bag, wrapped twice so the fabric design wouldn't show through the plastic. And he headed over to meet with Harry where he treated the other boy to a non-caffeinated latte and pastry.   
When they were done, Louis checked the time. “How long do you think we should wait for Barbara to call for help?”  
Harry blushed. “You really don't have to hang around to help her. It's not your job or anything.”  
“I said I would and I keep my word. Tell you what, my flat's not far from here. Wanna just hang out there?” Perfect.  
“Sure. Why not?”  
Harry couldn't help gaping as he was let into Louis' flat. Just the living area was bigger, and cleaner, than his whole flat. And the two bedrooms weren't small. “Wow. And you're here alone?”  
“For now. Though I've started looking for a new flatmate. Even with two jobs, rent can be a bit tough,” he lied easily, “and I hate cleaning,” he said honestly.  
Harry bit his lip, wondering what Louis would think if he volunteered. He sat on the couch in front of an actual coffee table, a bit beaten-up but better than the plywood over milk cartons that served him as his only table. Surely Louis would want more than Harry could afford. And they'd technically only spoken maybe five times, though they'd known each other a month.  
“So, should we go pack your things tonight or wait until morning?”  
Harry spun to stare at Louis. “What did you just say?”  
“Do you want to move tonight or tomorrow?”  
“Move where?”  
“Here, of course.”  
Harry slowly stood up, an angry blush building. “And who said I wanted to move in here?”  
Louis faltered slightly. “Well, I just assumed...”  
“You assumed that your charity case new friend would just leap at the chance to let you come in like some hero. My flat might not be as nice as this, but I've worked damn hard to get it, all on my own. I don't need you to take care of me!” The nerve of the man. Not even asking!  
“I'm just trying to be a good friend. And keep you safe. Someone's following you!” Louis met anger with anger.  
“Did Barbara tell you that?”  
“Why didn't you?” Louis demanded.  
“Why should I?” Harry retorted. “I've only known you a month. Yeah, you're nice but, for all I know, you could be my stalker! Didn't start until after I met you.”  
That brought Louis up short. “You thought...it was me?”  
Harry shrugged, anger fading at seeing the shock on Louis' face. It eased most of his suspicions. “Made sense. I meet you and a week later someone's following me around. What was I supposed to think?”  
Louis sat heavily on the couch and Harry perched next to him. Then Louis felt angry again. “Harry, you idiot!”  
“What?”  
“You thought I might be stalking you and you come out alone with me today? Come to my flat? Alone? Are you suicidal? What if I'd been some kind of psycho?”  
“But, Barb and the others know I'm with you.”  
“All those women know is my name's Louis and I work at a toy store. Not a lot to go on.” Harry was wrong; he did need someone to take care of him. Louis sighed. “Anyway, I guess I should actually ask. Would you like to move in here with me? The bedroom's big enough for you and the baby when it comes.”  
“How much do you want?” Harry wondered, sure it would be too much.  
“Well, rent's due every month so...” Louis named a sum that, if Harry's math was right, actually saved him about twenty pounds a month.   
He narrowed his eyes, suspecting Louis wasn't telling the truth. “That's it?”  
“We'll take the rest out in trade, deal?”  
Harry's back went up. “I'm not like that. I won't–”  
“Don't even suggest I'd want something like that,” Louis snapped. “All I meant was chores. I hate grocery shopping and I can't cook to save my life. If you can handle that, and a bit of cleaning, I'll consider rent paid in full.”  
Harry hung his head in shame for automatically thinking the worst. Maybe he did need to get out of his flat where, every week, his landlord offered to lower his rent in exchange for a blow job or more. “Sorry.”  
Louis waved it aside. “So, will you be moving in?”  
“I'll think about it,” Harry said solely for his pride, because they both knew he'd accept.  
Louis let the subject drop. “Movie?”  
“Sure. What's your last name, anyway?” he asked, making Louis laugh hard.  
“Tomlinson. Louis Tomlinson.”  
“Nice to meet you,” Harry said cheekily, shaking Louis' hand. “I'm Harry Styles,”  
They ordered in pizza and, before they knew it, Harry was asleep on Louis' shoulder. Shaking him awake, Louis led the sleepy boy into his own bedroom. “You sleep here, tonight. I'll take the couch.”  
Harry fell onto the mattress with a snore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Louis woke to knocking and opened the door with a snarl. “What?”  
Zayn breezed in. “Forgot how much you hate being woken up. Should have kept my key.”  
Louis tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. His couch wasn't the most comfortable place to spend the night. “What do you want, Z?”  
Before Zayn could answer, both young men turned at the sound of a door slamming open and stared as Harry sprinted for the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of yellow smiley-faced boxers. The bathroom door hadn't fully closed before they heard the sound of retching.  
Zayn slowly turned to look at Louis. “Did a mostly naked boy just run into the bathroom?”  
“Yes?” Louis smiled sheepishly, though not really knowing why he felt that way.  
“And did that mostly naked boy come out of your bedroom?”  
“Yes?”  
“And is that mostly naked boy who just ran into the bathroom from your bedroom pregnant?”  
“Yes?” Louis said a third time.  
The sounds from the bathroom stopped and Louis went over before Zayn could ask any more questions. Knocking, he called, “You okay in there, Harry?”  
“Yeah,” though he sounded miserable. “I'll be out in a minute.”  
“Take your time. Just so you know, my mate Zayn's here, too, but he's cool so don't be nervous.”  
“'Kay.”  
Walking back to Zayn, he found his friend waiting not so patiently. “So, that's Harry. My new flatmate.”  
“Okay, that somewhat answers my first question. Next?” Zayn held up two fingers.  
“Well, he only agreed last night and it was too late to go get his things, so he slept in my bed. I took the couch.” Louis pointed to his blanket and pillow as proof.  
A third finger went up.  
“Um, yeah, pregnant. Not really sure how. But definitely there. Morning sickness,” he shrugged when the retching started again.  
Zayn silently held up a fourth finger and Louis opened his mouth to explain before closing it again in confusion.  
“What was question number four?”  
“What the hell, man?” Zayn whispered furiously, glancing at the bathroom to make sure Harry was still there. “What are you doing taking in a pregnant boy? Are you gonna let him stay after it's born?”  
“Of course.” Louis thought that would have been obvious. Why let Harry move in just to make him move out a few months later? “He's my friend. And he's all on his own. He needs someone to help him.” They heard the toilet flush and water running. “Now, shut up and be nice to him, Z,” he ordered.  
Harry left the bathroom and kept his head down as he hurried back into Louis' bedroom. Louis made to follow him a minute later, thinking he was embarrassed and hiding, but Harry emerged with a smile and dressed in his clothes from the day before.  
“Sorry about that,” he apologized.  
“No problem. Feeling better?” Louis gestured for him to sit on the couch, then dragged a chair from the kitchen so Zayn could sit, too.  
“Yeah. Doctor says the morning sickness should fade soon. And it's only occasional, not every day, so I consider myself lucky.” He looked at Zayn and grinned at the slightly shocked face on the new boy. “Hard to take in, I know. Imagine being me.”  
“Can't, mate,” Zayn answered honestly. “So, you're formula-boy.”  
Louis hissed and Harry blushed. “Did you tell everyone about that?”  
“I had to explain why I was talking about you when I never talked about a customer before,” Louis shrugged.  
There was an awkward silence before Harry stood. “I should get home and start packing before my shift.”  
“Yeah. I'll come by the bakery when you get off and we'll bring the first load together.”  
Harry gave a little wave and was gone.  
Zayn was silent for a long moment before, “What are you doing, Lou?”  
Because he asked in all seriousness, Louis didn't try to joke it off. “I told you I might get a flatmate again.”  
“Yeah. A flatmate to share the rent and hang out with sometimes. Not a flatmate who's pregnant. And who you're falling for.”  
“I'm not falling for him,” Louis protested weakly. “I've already fallen.” He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.  
“Shit, mate. What are you going to do? You can't get in a relationship with a pregnant boy.”  
“Why not?” Not that Louis actually thought Harry would want to be in a relationship with him.  
“I'm being serious, Louis. That's what I came over here for.”  
“What? To tell me who I can date?”  
“No. To tell you that you've been scouted.”  
“What?” Was that the floor Louis' jaw just hit? “What are you talking about?”  
“The manager at the club contacted me. I'm listed as your manager on the contract, remember? Apparently, a talent agent dropped by while you were playing and liked what they heard. They're asking for a demo from you. Of your covers and original songs.”  
Louis was glad he was already sitting. “Oh my God. Oh, shit!”  
“Yeah, big stuff.” Zayn moved to sit next to Louis and put a hand on his shoulder. “If this has happened in less than a month, imagine where you'll be by the time Harry has his baby.”  
Louis was silent. Zayn was right. He couldn't start something with Harry just to leave him. “I'll just have to be careful. I've already asked him to move in and he can't go back to that dump he's in now.”  
“Be very very careful, Lou. He seems sweet and you could hurt him.”  
The smaller boy couldn't help but grin. There was something about Harry that made everyone instantly want to protect him. Standing, he moved to his bedroom and grabbed two mixed CDs. One with covers he'd rearranged and the other with his own songs.  
“Thanks,” Zayn said, taking the discs and sliding them into his portfolio folder. “I'll drop them at the club on my way to the gallery. See you at the showing in a few weeks?”  
“If not before.”  
Louis closed the door and leaned against it, rapping his head against the wood a few times. What was he going to do?

Louis stood silently just inside the bakery door, the smile on his face so wide he was surprised it didn't split. Harry was waltzing around the floor with a broom, belting out the oldies song coming over the speakers as the three ladies watched and warbled along.  
The song ended and Harry took as large a sweeping bow as his stomach would allow.  
Louis joined in on the applause and added a shrill whistle. Everyone turned to look at him and Harry blushed bright red, though his smile never dimmed. He propped his broom up against the counter and tugged his jumper down. His jeans didn't fit over his belly anymore so they were undone and tightly belted just above his crotch.  
“What happened?” Louis asked.  
“My baby moved!” Harry squealed, bouncing on his toes and resting his hands on his belly. “I felt it!”  
“We all felt it,” Dee added.  
“Yeah, after he sent us into a panic by freezing with a tray of biscuits halfway out of the oven,” Caro chastised playfully.  
“But the look on his face!” Barbara laughed, imitating the shocked expression.  
“Oh, shut up,” Harry muttered, embarrassed.  
Barbara's eyes twinkled mischievously as she looked at Louis. “Are you here to help our boy move into his new home?”  
Louis was about to confirm it when he saw Harry's confused look. Had he not told them? Suddenly, everything clicked and he leveled a glare at all three women. “Oh, you are manipulative old biddies,” he accused and received three far too innocent looks.  
“Louis?” Harry asked, confused.  
But Louis was still focused on Barbara, Caro, and Dee. “You told me all that stuff on purpose! You even warned me that you were trying to be subtle.” He threw his arms up in frustration over not realizing sooner.  
“What are you talking about, Louis?” Harry demanded, hands on his hips.  
“These three. They wanted me to asked you to move in with me!”  
“They made you ask me?”  
Louis finally looked at Harry. “No. They just told me how awful your flat was, how it wasn't safe for you or the baby, and how someone was following you. They made sure I wanted to ask you. They manipulated me.”  
Harry felt his heart sink hearing the disgust in Louis' voice, not realizing that it wasn't directed at him, but at Louis himself. “Oh. So, do you not want me to move in anymore?”  
Louis sighed and rolled his eyes, easily reading what Harry was thinking on his face. “Of course I do, you big curly idiot.” Harry stuck his tongue out in response. “Are you ready to go?”  
“Oh, no, sorry.” Harry grabbed the broom. “Got distracted so there's still a bit of cleaning to do. Fifteen minutes?”  
Louis nodded and leaned against the counter to wait as Harry disappeared into the kitchen. Crossing his arms, he glared at the three women sipping tea. “You could have just been honest and asked me to ask him,” he said suddenly. “I'd already been thinking about it before.”  
Barbara looked up at him. “He would have said no. We needed to make sure you'd fight.”  
Louis looked over his shoulder and smiled when he heard pots and pans banging, so Harry wouldn't hear his next words. “Trust me, I'd fight.”  
The words were simple and vague, but Barbara had no problem catching the underlying message. She stood and rested a hand on Louis' shoulder. “You'll take care of our boy.”  
It wasn't a question.

Louis had to bite his tongue to keep the comments in when they finally reached Harry's flat. It was on the fourth floor of an old building with no lift. He could just imaging Harry trying to cart groceries and a baby up all those stairs. And no way would he have let a baby play on a floor so dirty even straight bleach probably wouldn't have helped.  
But it was all Harry could afford before so the comments would do nothing but hurt his pride.  
It took two trips to transfer everything Harry owned, and that was only because Louis insisted that Harry not carry anything heavy. Still, Harry was ready to sleep by the time they set the last box in his new room.  
Louis put soup on to heat as he wondered the best way to talk to Harry about his lack of possessions. Most of what was in the boxes were the things he'd bought to prepare for the baby. Louis had seen maybe three total outfits for Harry himself and very few personal belongings. Now he knew why Harry always wore that gray jumper. There was nothing else.  
Though he was tempted to offer to take Harry clothes shopping, he knew the other boy would refuse. And his pride would probably refuse to accept too many “gifts.” Unfortunately, Louis couldn't even hand down his old clothes because the other boy was so much bigger than him. He'd have to do some serious thinking.  
Harry was passed out on the couch when Louis took him his soup, but Louis gently shook him awake. “Come on, Harry. You need to eat for that little bun in the oven.”  
“Bakery pregnant jokes,” Harry mumbled, taking the bowl. “I hate you.”  
“I know,” Louis grinned. “Eat so you can go to bed and get away from me.”

In the week that followed, Harry and Louis easily fell into a routine. Harry would leave for work early, usually before Louis was even awake. If he wasn't too tired, he'd have a simple dinner ready when Louis got home to change for the club. If he was too tired, Barbara would send him home with freshly baked meat pies and pastries to munch on. Harry would then try his hardest to stay awake until Louis got home from the club, but usually dozed off on the couch until Louis woke him and sent him to bed.  
Harry still went to visit Louis at the store on Thursday afternoon, enjoying their talks about baby supplies. On Friday, since Louis didn't work in the evening, he insisted on ordering in and the two just hung out in front of the TV, telling each other little things about their week.  
Though, not everything.  
Louis hadn't heard anything from the record company that had requested his demo tapes, so he saw no need to mention that possibility to Harry.  
And Harry didn't want Louis to worry, so he didn't say a word about how the feeling of being followed was getting stronger. He was sure he'd seen a tall, dark-haired man several different times during his walks between the bakery, apartment, and toy store.  
On the weekends, Louis would show up at the bakery about half an hour before Harry's shift ended. After he'd forgiven Barbara and her friends for their manipulations, he realized he quite enjoyed their company. So he drank tea, ate delicious cakes, and gossiped or talked about babies until Harry was ready to leave.  
That Sunday, Harry had even more bounce in his step than normal. “What happened to you, curly?” Louis wondered as they headed out.  
“Dunno. Just feel really good.”  
Deciding to take advantage of his good mood, Louis stopped walking and grabbed Harry's arm to make him do the same. “Why don't we do something tonight?”  
“We do things every night,” Harry shot back, tongue in cheek.  
Louis rolled his eyes. “No, I mean something different. Kinda boring staying in every night I don't work. And you shouldn't have to cook tonight. How about dinner and a movie? My treat.”  
Harry was silent for a moment. It sounded fine and he wouldn't mind not cooking, but, “Just nothing expensive, okay?” He wouldn't let Louis spend a lot of money on him.  
“Damn, and I was planning on one of those celebrity hang outs,” Louis joked, making Harry laugh. “How about that little Chinese place on the way to the cinema?”  
Just the mention of Chinese food had a craving hitting Harry and he nodded eagerly, practically pulling a laughing Louis down the street.  
Only a few meters away, unnoticed by the two young men, brown eyes narrowed and turned away from where the man was pretending to window shop. The man followed their progress around the corner, watching as Louis tried to hide his giggles when Harry tripped over his own feet and grabbed Louis' waist to keep from ending up on the ground.  
“He will be mine,” the man muttered, turning away.

The following Monday, Louis was at the bar between sets, sipping the club soda Nick had had waiting for him. As usual, there weren't many customers so Nick stood and chatted as he cut up a few limes.  
“So, there's this rumor about someone asking about you a while back,” Nick started.  
Louis let his gaze drop to his drink and played with the straw. He didn't want to make a big deal because he was sure nothing would come of it. “Yeah, someone just asked for a couple tapes of my stuff. Haven't heard anything, though.”  
“I'm sure you will. These things can take time, or so I've heard.”  
“Maybe.” Louis glanced at his watch; still five minutes before his last set.  
Nick suddenly snapped his fingers, catching Louis' attention. “Just remembered. You still looking for a flatmate?”  
Louis shook his head, wondering when he'd told Nick about that. Maybe he'd just let it slip without realizing. “No. One of my friends hated his flat and just got a raise, so he moved in.” Louis didn't know why the lie came so easily to his tongue.  
“Oh, well then, never mind. You should probably head back to the stage. See you after?”  
Louis finished his drink and waved to Nick as he hurried off. He liked his third set best since the club allowed him to occasionally slip one or two of his own songs in-between covers.  
Nick waited until there were no more customers needing drinks before pulling a notebook from where it was hidden under the liquor shelf. One eye on Louis on stage, he started writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like with the pregnancy deal, I know nothing about record labels or deals or anything like that. This is all how I want it to go for the sake of my story. All fiction.

Saturday was a huge day and Louis got up early for a change, joining Harry for breakfast before the younger boy had to leave.   
“I'll be there when you get back from the clinic,” he said, watching Harry play with his eggs. “There's nothing to worry about.”  
“What if she sees something in the ultrasound she didn't notice before? What if there's something wrong?” Harry tried to blink away tears brought on by the thought of something wrong with his baby.  
“Nothing's going to be wrong,” Louis assured him. “But. On the one percent chance there is, we'll deal with it. You're not alone. Not with me, Barb, Caro, and Dee.”  
Harry gave a little watery smile. “Thanks.”  
“Any time. Now, go, or you'll be late and Barb won't give us any treats tonight.” Just as he'd hoped, Harry was laughing as he walked out the door.  
Fifteen minutes later, Louis was just getting out of the shower when his mobile rang. Seeing Zayn's number and that he'd already missed three calls, he was quite worried when he picked up. “Z?”  
“Get your ass out of bed and get over here as soon as you can, Lou.”  
“What's going on? What's wrong?”  
“I'll tell you when you get here. Hurry.” And, with that, Zayn hung up.  
Louis stared at his phone for a second before dashing into his room, pulling on pants and a random pair of jeans laying on the floor. He grabbed the first shirt he could reach in his closet and dragged a black beanie over his wet hair even as he stomped into his shoes and was out the door.  
Not wanting to take time with the Underground, he flagged down a taxi and gave Liam's flat address. As they wound through traffic, Louis wondered what Zayn so desperately needed to talk about that he couldn't say over the phone.  
Paying the driver, Louis ran into the building and was surprised to find Zayn pacing the hall just in front of the lifts.  
“Z? What's wrong? Is it Liam? Did you fight?”  
Zayn looked at him like he was crazy. “Of course not.” He looked his friend over and started straightening his shirt and beanie as Louis waited for some kind of explanation.  
“Then what the hell, man?” Louis demanded.  
“Remember that agent who wanted your tapes? I told him to contact me here since I didn't know if Harry would be there when – if – he ever showed up. Well, he showed up this morning. Wants to talk to you.” He was finally satisfied that Louis was presentable and pulled him into the lift to Liam's loft.  
When the lift opened, Louis just stared at Liam and a strange man sitting and sharing a laugh, sipping cups of coffee.  
“I'll admit to not being a fan of modern art,” the man was saying, “but some of your pieces are quite fascinating.” He gestured to a charcoal sketch hanging next to the TV.  
“Thank you.” Liam noticed Zayn and Louis then and stood. “Ah, here he is. I'll just let you three talk privately. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Banks.” He shook the man's hand and, taking a moment to nod in greeting to Louis, walked into another room, softly closing the door behind him.  
“Um...” Louis started, still standing before the lift doors.  
Zayn gently pushed him toward the sitting area. “I apologize, Mr. Banks. I forgot to tell Louis why he needed to come, so he's still a bit shocked.”  
Louis hoped Banks didn't notice the trembling in his hand as they shook and he lowered himself into a chair.  
“I understand,” Banks smiled. “And I'm quite used to it. Many new artists have this kind of reaction, so don't worry, Mr. Tomlinson.”  
“Louis,” he corrected automatically.  
“Of course. Louis. I don't know what Mr. Malik might have told you, so let me start at the beginning. I'd heard of a unique talent winning a place at that club of yours so I went to see what the fuss was about. Let me say I was pleasantly surprised when the rumors turned out to be true,” he chuckled. “Most 'unique talent' is not so unique. So I asked for your information and was directed to Mr. Malik, here. He supplied your demo tapes and I took them to my bosses. They, too, were impressed.” Here, he paused. “They were very impressed with your songwriting skills. How long have you been writing?”  
Louis blinked, trying to take everything in. “Uh, years. I started during my A-levels. I wrote for my band.”  
“Interesting,” and it sounded like Banks was being honest. “I'm going to be straight with you, Louis. There isn't a place on the market for an artist like you at the moment.” Louis must have looked as devastated as he felt because Banks held up a hand and hurried on. “However, the people who know about such things believe that will change in the near future. We'd like to have you with us when the market changes. And, in the meantime, can offer a contract to buy any songs you might write.”  
“You...you want my songs?” Louis gaped.  
“Only those you don't plan to sing on your own. We want you to have original material when you're debuted, after all.”  
Louis was speechless. Was this really happening?  
Zayn, who'd been silent up until then, chuckled. “Might Louis and I have a moment to discuss this?”  
Banks immediately agreed and lifted his coffee cup to wait as Zayn dragged Louis into the room where Liam had disappeared.  
Shoving Louis into a chair, he ordered, “Breathe, Louis.”  
Louis took a deep breath and, feeling light-headed, put his head between his knees. “Oh my God. Oh my God,” he repeated again and again.  
Zayn ignored his breakdown and turned to Liam. “Did you hear?”  
Liam wasn't ashamed that he'd had his ear pressed to the door the moment it closed. He'd grown quite close to Louis through Zayn and this was a big moment. “Every word.”  
“What should we do?” Since Liam was the only one with a business background, Zayn needed his advice.  
“Look at the contract carefully. And without Banks watching. Get a lawyer to go over it. And then make Louis sign it because this is an amazing opportunity.”  
Zayn nodded and turned back to Louis, pleasantly surprised to see that he hadn't passed out. “You ready to go back out?”  
Louis shook his head but stood anyway, locking his knees to stay up. “Z?”  
“Yeah, Louis, I'll do all the talking. Don't worry.”  
When they walked out, they found Banks up and studying one of the paintings on the wall. Turning, he pointed at the artist's signature. “You're an artist, Mr. Malik?”  
“It's my day job, yes.”  
Banks hummed thoughtfully and then returned to his seat. “Now, what have you discussed?”  
“We think your offer is very generous and Louis is grateful for the opportunity. However, we'd like to go over the contract with a lawyer before I allow Louis to sign. You understand,” Zayn said politely but firmly.  
“Of course.” Banks pulled a sheaf of paper from his briefcase and a business card from his pocket. “I'm glad you're taking this serious. Please, take the time you need to be comfortable with the contract and then contact my office to set up an appointment.” He stood and again shook hands with both Louis and Zayn. “I look forward to seeing you again.”  
Liam came out when he heard the lift leaving. “So...”  
Louis let out the scream he'd been holding back and started dancing around the room, pausing every once in a while to hug Zayn or Liam, whoever was closer.  
Liam and Zayn shared a smile and Liam slipped an arm around his boyfriend's waist. “I hoped I wasn't being premature but, after they asked for the demo tapes, I asked around and found a lawyer who specializes in these kinds of contracts. Should I contact him?”  
“Yes! Yes, do it now!” Louis jumped on Liam's back, nearly knocking the muscular boy to the floor.  
“Calm down,” Liam laughed. “And give me a moment.”  
Zayn pushed Louis into a chair and held him there as Liam made the call.  
Fifteen minutes later, they were headed for the lawyer's office, contract clutched tightly to Louis' chest.

Louis sprinted toward the bakery and burst through the door out of breath. “I'm late, I know,” he gasped out. He hadn't realized how much time he'd spent talking with the lawyer until the man's receptionist interrupted to announce another client had arrived with an appointment.  
Dee, being closest, guided him to a chair as Barbara got a cup of tea for him. “Don't worry, love. Harry's not back yet. You calm down, now.”  
“Not back yet?” But Louis was almost an hour late. “What does that mean?”  
“We don't know.” Barbara sat down and Louis noticed the worry in all three pairs of eyes. “So, why were you late, dear?”  
She didn't sound particularly interested so Louis figured she was just trying to find a distraction. He obliged and told them what had happened that morning.  
Ten minutes later, they all turned to stare when Harry came slowly through the door. Louis sprang to his feet seeing the pale cheeks and the slightly glazed look in his normally bright green eyes.  
“Harry? What is it? What happened?” His mind jumped to their earlier conversation and wondered if that one percent had happened.  
Harry just sat heavily in Louis' empty chair.  
“Harry, dear. Talk to us,” Caro pleaded when the silence dragged.  
“Two.” Harry looked around at the four people he cared about most in the world. “There are two.”  
Louis felt his knees buckle and he grabbed at the counter. “You...Two? As in you're having twins?”  
Harry nodded. “It took a while to get the ultrasound to work and then the doctor though it might be a shadow or mistake or something. That's why I'm so late. But there are two distinct heartbeats now and the pictures are really clear.” He fished the black and white photo from his pocket and put it on the table for them all to see.  
Four heads leaned in and they all gaped at what was clearly two tiny bodies curled around each other.  
Louis looked at Harry and, seeing the curly head hanging low, realized the boy wasn't reacting like Louis thought he would have been. The ladies were already over their shock and were cooing over the picture and talking excitedly about having two babies to cuddle and spoil.  
Crouching down in front of Harry and taking his hands, Louis tried to catch his eye. “Curly? How are you feeling?” he asked gently.  
Harry looked up slightly with tears in his eyes. “How am I supposed to feel? How can I take care of two babies when I can barely take care of myself?” he sobbed.  
Gathering the boy in his arms, Louis noticed Barbara and the others quietly going into the kitchen, flipping the door sign to read “Closed” on the way. “Shh, Harry. It's going to be fine. I'm sure of it.”  
“How do you know? I was scared thinking of just one. How am I going to handle twins?” Harry sniffled and Louis grabbed a napkin off the tea tray to give him.  
“You're going to handle them just like any person handles having twins. You'll do the best you can and use the help freely offered by friends and family.”  
Harry snorted. “What family? Mum and Gem said they never want see me again. And I don't even know who the other father is. Only that he got me drunk at a party and I woke up naked and pregnant.”  
Louis took Harry's hands in his own again as he sat next to him. “Family isn't just blood, love. Barb, Caro, Dee, and I are all here for you. So that's five healthy, intelligent people willing and able to take care of those two bundles in your tummy.”  
Harry sniffled again. “Really? You'll help me?”  
Louis scoffed. “No. I'm just going to laze about the flat while you take care of two screaming infants. Of course I'm going to help. How could you think otherwise?”  
“Sorry,” Harry mumbled. “I'm just scared.”  
“I know, Harry. But don't ever think that you have to do this on your own.” Determined to get a smile back on Harry's face, he asked, “So, boys or girls?”  
Harry blinked, thrown by the topic change. “Oh, um, one of each actually.” He pulled the photo over and pointed. “The bigger one is the boy.”  
“He's gonna be a heart-breaker. And she'll be a little terror, I know it,” Louis joked.  
“No, she'll be my little angel,” Harry argued. Then he groaned, still feeling pessimistic. “How am I going to afford enough diapers for two babies, Lou?”  
Louis debated and then realized he had to go for it. “Here's where accepting freely offered help comes in, Harry. Let me help you with money.” He held up a hand to forestall any argument. “Today's the day for big news apparently. I just finished talking to a lawyer about a contract with a record company. They want me to write songs for them and maybe record my own stuff someday. They're going to pay really well. Helping you pay for diapers or the rent when you can't work anymore isn't going to be a problem, I promise.”  
Harry stared, mouth hanging open slightly. “Louis, that's...that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!”  
“Thanks, I'm really happy, too. Will you let me help?”  
With a rueful smile, Harry shrugged. “Don't really have a choice actually. But, I promise, I will pay every cent back if it takes me years.”  
Louis bit back a protestation, knowing Harry needed this. “Fine. So, did the doctor say anything else?”  
“Yeah. I might not be able to work much longer. She was surprised about the twins as much as me because I should be much bigger by now. She thinks the weight and size are going to come fast now and wants me on bed rest by the time I'm six months along because she's worried about how the third trimester will go, me being a boy and all. She says she's read that most successful male pregnancies actually go into labor at about eight months instead of nine because our bodies can't handle any more. With twins, it might even be earlier and they'll have to stay in the hospital a little while to finish developing.”  
“Well, we'll figure things out as we go along. Let's just focus on the right now, okay? All three of you are healthy and safe, so that's all that's needed.”  
Harry nodded, tears of happiness in his eyes. “Thank you, Louis,” he muttered, wrapping his arms around Louis' neck. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”  
“I'll always be here, curly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	6. Chapter 6

Barbara put Harry on light duty in the bakery when his belly almost brushed against a hot oven rack when he tried to take a tray of biscuits out. And, with his swollen ankles aching, he only put up a token protest when she firmly planted him on a stool at the register.   
The moment the doctor wanted Harry on bed rest, Barbara put him on maternity leave and had Louis physically drag him out of the bakery, threatening not to give him any more of the pastries he craved ever again if he tried to work another hour.   
Louis watched from the couch as Harry pouted and paced the flat. “It's really a good thing, Harry. You could hurt yourself or the babies if you do too much now.”  
“But I'm gonna be so bored here, Louis. It's months before the babies'll be here. What am I supposed to do?”  
“Sleep. You're always tired now, anyway. Now, you can sleep in a bed instead of propped on a stool in a corner of the bakery.”  
“I don't sleep that much,” Harry muttered. He walked with his hands resting on his large belly now, absently stroking it whenever he felt a small thud of one of his babies kicking.  
“Then you can keep getting everything ready for when they get here. I'm still waiting for that sale on baby furniture at work but it should be soon. You can put the crib and changing table together when you're awake.”  
Like always, Harry bit his tongue at the mention of Louis buying him things. He already had a new wardrobe of maternity clothes since he couldn't keep wearing his jumper in the middle of summer without dying of heatstroke. “Oh!” he suddenly remembered. “We never got that fabric for your mum to make those carriers, did we? Or are you just going to buy the ones from the store now?” he couldn't help but add bitterly.  
Louis didn't take offense. “Actually, I forgot all about it. Why don't you tell me the fabrics you liked and I'll pick them up?”  
Harry pouted again. “I'm coming. It's been weeks. They might not have the ones I liked, or maybe have ones I like more. The doctor didn't say I could never leave my bed.”  
“Fine. We'll get the fabric, then you're coming back and taking a nap.”  
Since Harry knew that he would probably need a nap when they got back anyway, he didn't say a word, just slid his feet into the soft shoes Louis had bought for him.   
Instead of making Harry walk, Louis guided him down into the Underground for the few stops it would take to get to the fabric store. A nice woman let Harry have her seat and Louis stood holding the railing in front of him as they chatted about what designs Harry hoped to find.   
“Louis?”  
Turning, Louis found Nick standing right next to him. “Hey, Nick.”  
“Who's this?” Nick gestured to Harry.  
Louis frowned slightly at the tone in the man's voice. “Nick, this is Harry, my flatmate. Harry, this is Nick. He's a bartender at the club where I sing.”  
“Nice to meet you,” Harry said politely, holding out his hand to shake Nick's.  
Nick shook once before dropping the hand and turned to focus on Louis. “So, you've not been hanging around after your sets lately. Been rushing out for hot dates?”  
“Actually, no,” Louis said slowly, somewhat uncomfortable. “Just been tired. Working two jobs and all.”  
“Right. The toy store. Why haven't you left there, yet? You're a professional musician, now. Writing songs, performing, making it big.” He winked and had Louis shifting in embarrassment.  
Harry suddenly cleared his throat and held a hand up to Louis. “Sorry, but this is our stop,” he stated, not sounding very apologetic.  
Louis felt the train slowing and carefully helped Harry up from the seat. “Sorry, Nick. See you at the club,” he called as he guided Harry through the crowd gathering at the doors. When they reached the street, he realized that they were at the wrong stop. “Harry, we got off too soon.”  
“I know,” Harry said simply. “But I thought you were uncomfortable and I didn't like how that man was looking at you. He gave me a weird feeling.”  
“Yeah, he's a little strange,” Louis admitted. “Are you sure you can walk the rest of the way?”  
“Yes, Louis,” Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I'm not completely helpless.”  
Louis kept an arm around Harry's waist for support as they walked the final blocks to the fabric store. Once there, Harry went straight for the section of baby fabrics, searching for that one he'd seen all those weeks ago. When he didn't find it, he went up to the saleswoman and asked if there was any in the back. Louis had to conceal his smug smile when she returned with a negative answer and Harry thanked her sadly.  
Back at the rack, Harry looked through the selection more carefully this time, trying to find the perfect fabrics for his babies. He wished he could have had that one he'd seen, but it must not have been meant to be. Picking a light purple with non-cartoonish angels for his little girl, he automatically handed it to Louis as he tried to find one for his son. Finally, he decided on a grassy green with different types of balls on it because, from the kicks his stomach was receiving, the lad would be a professional athlete.  
Louis got the appropriate lengths cut and paid for as Harry absently wandered, looking at the ribbons along one wall. A bit hanging from the very top shelf caught his attention and he raised himself up on his tip-toes to try to reach it. Unfortunately, reaching threw off his already precarious balance and Harry felt himself tipping over.  
“Harry!” Louis turned from the register just in time to see Harry start to reach for something up high. He watched in horror as shock ran over Harry's face and he tipped slightly. Dropping the bag, Louis rushed over and caught the pregnant boy, getting him upright again.  
“Don't do that!” he said angrily, his fear still not gone.  
“Sorry,” Harry mumbled, realizing everyone in the store was looking at them. “Didn't think it was that high.”  
“Ask for help next time, okay?”  
The saleswoman appeared next to them with a small step-ladder. “What were you looking for, honey?” she asked, smiling at Harry.  
“That ribbon. The rope with the blue anchors.” It matched the fabric he'd wanted perfectly. If he couldn't have the fabric, he'd at least have a bit of the ribbon. He was sure there had to be something he could put it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	7. Chapter 7

Louis was trying to figure out the next line for his new song when Harry appeared in his bedroom door. Smiling, he looked up in askance. “What's up?”  
“Have you seen that ribbon we got?” Harry asked, rubbing at his belly. “I want to drape it along the top of the crib bars as decoration.”  
“It's not in the bags with the rest of what we bought?”  
“I looked everywhere I could think.”  
Louis bit his cheek to keep from smiling. “Oh no,” he winced. “It must have been in the bag with the fabric I took to Mum's. I'll pick it up next time I go over, okay?”  
“Yeah, that's fine. I just thought I lost it,” Harry laughed. “How's the song coming?”  
“Fine. Almost done. Just need a last verse.”  
“What's this one about?” Harry asked curiously, trying to read over Louis' shoulder.  
Louis blushed. “Um, you, actually. I mean, your pregnancy. I hope you don't mind. It's what's been in my head lately.”  
“Oh,” Harry was shocked and a little embarrassed, actually. “Just don't put anything in there about looking like a whale or waddling like a penguin, okay?”  
Louis laughed. “It's more feelings than appearance, Harry.”  
“So, what feelings have you put in so far? Are you going in order?”  
“Yeah. Starts with shock and disbelief, of course. Then there's happiness. Followed by worry. And then more happiness. Just need to end it, now.”  
“End with wonder,” Harry said after a moment. “End with how the guy feels finally holding his baby.”  
Louis turned around fully to stare. “Wow. Is that how you're going to feel?”  
“It's how I feel every time I see my stomach, actually. But I think it'll be more when I see them the first time.” Harry was still scared at the thought of two tiny people needing everything from him, but it was counter-balanced with the joyful thought that he'd always have those two people to love, no matter what.   
“I think that's perfect, Harry. Thank you.” Louis saw the sparkle in Harry's eyes and had to restrain himself from lifting up and kissing the younger boy.   
But he was still trying to be careful.  
Harry suddenly lost the rapturous look on his face and grinned cheekily. “Just make sure to add Harry Styles to the credits for that song. I could use the royalties.”  
“Go away!” Louis laughed, shoving lightly at him and turning back to his laptop to finished writing.  
Harry was laughing, too, when he waddled back to his room to figure out what he should do next. The crib was done and so was the changing table. Louis wouldn't let him help baby-proofing the apartment because there was too much bending down and reaching up high.   
Plopping down on the bed, he looked around his room. With his single bed pressed into a corner, there was just enough room to walk between it and the crib pushed against the opposite wall. The changing table was wedged without an inch to spare at the foot of his bed. He wondered what he was going to do when the twins outgrew the shared crib. How would he fit two more beds in?  
Carefully laying on his back, he wondered about his future. He couldn't continue to depend on Louis. They were only friends and Louis was slowly becoming more and more successful in the music business. Surely he'd want more freedom soon. And not have a boy with two kids leeching off him.  
Unfortunately, when she kicked him out, his mum had also cut off his allowance for Uni, leaving him two years short of getting his degree without a way to pay for it. He still didn't have enough to take even one class each term. No way was he asking Louis to pay for that, too. And, after the babies were born, how could he possibly have time when he'd also have to start working again, maybe even two jobs to keep up with the expenses.  
Louis' soft voice drifted through the flat as he perfected his latest song. It soothed Harry's mind slightly and he felt himself start to doze off, lyrics inspired by him lulling him to sleep.

As always, Louis tried to be quiet as he came in from singing at the club on Thursday. Harry should have been fast asleep at that hour and Louis didn't want to wake him up. He stopped short hearing familiar words being sung softly in the bedroom across from his own. The door was only partially closed when he tip-toed over and peaked in. Harry was laying in bed, eyes closed and hands running over his round stomach again and again as he crooned the song Louis had recently written.  
His voice sent chills up Louis' spine as he got to the final verse; it was exactly as Louis imagined the song should sound, only he didn't know it until that moment. He silently hurried into his room and grabbed the microphone he used to record his songs. Before he left his bedroom, he toed off his shoes to make sure they didn't make any noise before going back to Harry's. There was silence and he wondered if he'd missed his chance, but Harry started the song again, still caressing his stomach.  
Louis waited until he had the whole thing recorded before putting the microphone away and pretending he'd only just arrived home.   
Knocking softly on Harry's door, he eased his head inside. “Hey, what are you doing still awake?”  
“My little devils decided they'd had enough rest earlier and now they want to dance,” Harry smiled sleepily, not opening his eyes. The exhaustion was clear in his voice. “How was the club?”  
“Same. Is the singing helping?” Louis moved further into the room.  
Even in the darkness, Louis could see Harry blush. “Yeah, I think they like it. Sorry for using your song but it's all that I could think of.”  
“It's fine. Tell you what, let me sing for awhile. You can't fall asleep if you're focused on singing.”  
“Okay. Thanks.”  
Louis sat on the edge of the bed and started singing softly. He watched as Harry's face relaxed and his hands moved slower and slower over his stomach until they fell limply to his sides. He sang the full song twice before falling silent and waiting to see if the babies started up again. When Harry stayed motionless, he got up and pressed a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead.   
“Good night, Harry,” he whispered.  
“'Night, Lou,” Harry breathed out, making Louis wonder if he was still awake. But nothing else came and he left the room, headed for his own bed.  
As he lay in bed, a thought popped into his head and he made the decision to stop by to see Zayn after his shift at the store the following day.

Zayn looked at Louis in confusion. “You want to what?” he asked.  
“I just want to mention it. Nothing more. You've heard the song.”  
“Yeah,” Zayn said slowly. “And it's good, don't get me wrong. But, Louis, are you really going to go to Banks with it? It's a song sung by a pregnant boy late at night without him even knowing he was being recorded.”  
“I know. But that's the best part. It's raw. And I also put it on there with his voice added to mine in a duet. It's good, Z. It's really good.”  
“I don't know, Lou. Just seems a bit odd to me.”  
“They've taken my advice on my songs before,” Louis said, talking about the record agency he's contracted with. “And the worst they can do is say no, right?”  
“I guess.” Seeing that his friend wasn't going to back down on the subject, Zayn sighed. “Okay. I'll set up a time for you to meet with Banks. I won't say a word except that you have a new song you want to discuss with him.”  
“Thanks, mate!” Louis hurried out of the flat, wanting to get home before Harry wondered why he was so late.  
Liam came out of the bedroom where he'd been listening. “He's in love with Harry, isn't he?”  
Zayn let his head fall back onto the top of the sofa. “He is so in love. And he doesn't even realize it. It's sad.”  
“But is it a bad thing?” Liam wondered. “They're good together.”  
“They're twenty and eighteen, Louis' career's about to take off if the e-mail I just got from Banks is any indication, and Harry's pregnant with twins. How is that a recipe for success?”  
“I don't know.” Liam sat forward, intrigued. “And what e-mail are you talking about?”  
“The one asking Louis to come in to discuss getting into the studio and recording a few tracks with a professional.”  
Liam's jaw dropped. “Why didn't you tell him that? He's going to be blindsided when he talks with Banks.”  
Zayn smiled slyly. “I know. But Louis' more himself when he doesn't have time to prepare what he believes is a proper response. And it's the real Louis that Banks wants in the studio.”  
“You're a horrible manager,” Liam laughed and dropped a kiss on Zayn's head. “But a really good friend.”  
“Let's hope Banks still makes the studio offer after Louis plays him that song.”  
“You have to admit, love, the kid is good. Banks wouldn't be any good at his job if he doesn't hear that.”  
“Yeah, but, to me, Louis' more important than Harry.”  
“Ahh, then I understand.”

Louis felt like firing Zayn, only he didn't pay him, so there was no point. “Why didn't you tell me?” he hissed as they watched Banks listen to the CD through a set of earphones. The man hadn't let Louis ask his question before he brought up the studio time he wanted to set up for Louis.  
And Louis had been so shocked by the offer that, when Banks asked about the new song, Louis just handed it over, not mentioning Harry.  
“Because I figured you'd hear about it soon enough. And it's fun watching you get shocked. Banks agrees.”  
Before Louis could retort, Banks was slowly removing his earphones. “This isn't you singing,” he said immediately.  
Louis shook his head. “No, sir.” Should he tell him about Harry?  
“Who is it?”  
“Um, my flatmate. He was singing it late one night and I kinda recorded him without telling him.”  
“This was him without any preparation?”  
“Yes, sir. He still doesn't know I recorded him. But his voice suited the song perfectly. I thought,” he added, just in case.  
“I would have to agree. And the song is beautiful. A modern lullaby.” Banks sat back and folded his hands as he stared at Louis contemplatively. “The second version, the two of you together. That was done on your computer program?”  
Louis just nodded, somehow knowing that something good was about to happen because Banks nodded along with him.  
Banks suddenly sat up straight, making Zayn and Louis do the same. “Okay. I want you to go to the studio tomorrow afternoon. I'll let them know you're coming, but you'll be the one to pick the songs, so come prepared. And, if you want, and he's willing, bring this boy along. Record this song as the duet and solo. We'll see how it goes.”  
“Of course,” Louis nodded eagerly, thrusting his hand out to shake Banks' hand. “Thank you so much, Mr. Banks.”  
“Just keep being as great as you have been, Louis, and there's no thanks needed.”  
Standing on the pavement outside, Louis took a deep breath. “Harry's going to freak,” he realized.   
“No kidding,” Zayn scoffed. “How are you going to tell him?”  
“Very, very carefully.”  
When Louis walked into the apartment, he found Harry on the couch watching a Peter Pan. And crying.  
“Harry, what is it?” he asked, sitting down.  
“Wendy's leaving Peter,” Harry sobbed, making Louis sigh in relief. He thought something was actually wrong; but it was just hormones.  
He waited until the end of the movie before turning to Harry. “Can I talk to you a minute?”  
Harry used a tissue to wipe his eyes. “Uh huh.”  
Louis rolled his eyes because Harry was adorable like this. “Remember a few nights ago when you were singing my new song to make the babies stop moving?”  
“Uh huh.”  
“Well, I might have recorded you singing. It's just, your voice is exactly what I wanted the song to sound like and I just couldn't do it myself.”  
“Okay. Why are you telling me, now?” Harry didn't understand what the big deal was. Sure, he was a bit embarrassed, but he liked Louis' compliment.  
“Don't hate me. And please don't be mad. I took the recording, one I put to music, with me when I met with Mr. Banks this afternoon. He listened to it.”  
Harry froze. “He listened to me singing? Your record company talent agent listened to me singing?”   
Louis grimaced at the growing fury in Harry's voice. “Yes.”  
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Harry burst out and, though it took a few times, levered himself off the couch to tower over Louis. “Why would you do that? Why?”  
“Because you're good, Harry. You're really good. Zayn agreed with me or I wouldn't have done it, I swear.”  
“Oh, great. Zayn heard me, too!” Harry threw his hands up and stormed away before coming back and drilling a finger into Louis chest. “And just what did they say after they heard it? Did they laugh? Did they call you a fool for recording me?”  
“Banks wants you to come into the studio with me and record the song,” Louis said quietly, taking the abuse without a word.  
That stopped Harry's upcoming rant cold. “What?” Had he heard correctly?  
“Banks really liked it. Your voice and the song, both. He wants to see what it'll sound like recorded professionally.”  
“I-I-I can't...” Harry's knees went weak and Louis jumped up to help him sit on the couch. “I can't breathe.”  
Worried, Louis lifted Harry's feet onto the couch and helped him lay down flat, kneeling on the floor next to his stiff body. “Shh, just breathe. Focus on breathing in and out. That's all. In and out.”  
A minute later, Harry's body relaxed and he made Louis help him sit back up. “Does he really want me to go with you? You didn't make it some kind of condition?”   
Louis hated that Harry sounded so unsure. “He really does, Harry. I didn't even bring it up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I recorded you, or that I would let anyone listen, but I didn't want to get your hopes up if things didn't turn out the way they did.”  
Exhausted, Harry laid his head on Louis' shoulder. “I understand, kinda. It's just, no one's ever really liked my voice before. Even in the band, they made me only do back up, never let me do a solo. They said my voice was too husky, too mellow.”  
“Your voice is husky and mellow, love,” Louis admitted, running his fingers through Harry's curls to sooth him. “That's what makes it great.” He paused. “Will you come with me to the studio tomorrow? You don't have to sing if you don't want to, but I think it would be great if you do. They even want a version of you and me singing together.”  
“I'll come.”  
The following afternoon, Zayn met them outside the studio. “Ready?” he asked, looking mostly at Harry.  
“Not really,” Harry admitted, leaning against Louis, who had an arm around his enlarged waist. “Do they know about me being, you know, pregnant?” he asked.  
Zayn nodded. “I went in and warned them so no one should make a big deal. And there are stools for you to sit on while you sing. I even dropped by Tesco's and stocked up on snacks for us all in case singing makes you hungry. I know Louis is starving when he's finished.”  
Louis beamed at his friend for being so nice to an obviously nervous Harry.  
Going inside, Harry pressed against Louis as he stared around at all the equipment. There were a few men sitting before a massive soundboard and they all turned to look at the newcomers. Harry thought they'd stare more at his stomach, but was nicely surprised when two turned back to fiddling with knobs as one stood up to shake Louis' hand.  
“Mr. Tomlinson. Mr. Styles. Nice to meet you,” he greeted.  
Louis grinned back. “It's just Louis.”  
“And Harry,” Harry put in shyly.  
“Right. I'm Matt, the lead sound engineer. I'll be guiding you through this because it's a first for both of you, right?”  
“Yeah. We don't really know what we're doing,” Louis admitted.  
“Not to worry. We'll take care of you. Now, I have the instrumentals to all of your tracks, but it'll take too long to record all of them. Which ones will we be using?”  
Louis listed a few of the songs he liked the most and waited as they were found and programmed in. When he looked at Harry in question and received a hesitant nod, he added the lullaby last.  
When everything was set, Louis asked if it was okay if Harry sat in the sound booth with him and was told it was fine as long as Harry was silent. So Harry perched on a high stool off to the side as Louis cautiously approached the large microphone.  
“Okay, Louis, I know you're nervous, so we're just going to take a practice run first, okay? No recording, just you singing. Relax,” Matt's voice said through the speaker.  
Louis nodded and heard the music for his first song in the head set they'd given him. He was so nervous that he missed his cue twice, making them restart. He saw Harry giggling out of the corner of his eye as the music started a third time and, not paying full attention, started singing at the right moment, continuing to look at Harry's grinning face the whole song.  
“Perfect,” Matt's voice came again. “Now, we're going to record it this time, so no giggling, Harry, or you'll have to come sit with us, okay?”  
Harry nodded and pressed his lips together tightly, making everyone laugh.  
Louis was so pleased to see Harry relaxed and smiling that he had no problem recording the songs he'd selected. A few times, Matt asked him to sing them again to try something different, but he quite liked Matt's suggestions.  
When it was time to record the lullaby, Louis decided to do it as a duet first, so Harry wouldn't be so nervous. A second microphone and headset were brought in and Louis reached out to grab Harry's hand.   
“Just like we practiced this morning, okay?” he said. Since Harry hadn't actually ever heard the music for the song, Louis had made sure he was prepared before they came.   
“Ready?” Matt asked. Harry nodded and the music started.  
Louis had arranged the duet with mostly Harry's vocals, only adding himself in during the chorus. The song was supposed to be about a single person going through the pregnancy alone, so more than one voice singing the verses didn't seem right to him.  
Harry's eyes closed halfway through the first verse and Louis watched, enraptured, as he immersed himself in the music. It was beautiful.  
A round of clapping as the music ended startled Harry out of the trance he'd fallen into. Looking around, he saw all three engineers and Zayn on their feet and Louis beaming widely at him. He blushed and stared at his feet.  
“Can we do that again, Harry? I want to try layering your voice just a bit to make it richer,” Matt said.  
“Um, okay. With Louis again?”  
“Actually, let's try just you this time. Louis can come back in later if it seems right.”  
Louis nodded agreement and took off his headset. He stood next to Harry's stool instead of moving away to find one for himself as Harry took a sip of water to wet his throat before he began.   
“Okay, Harry, here we go.”  
This time, Louis only heard a faint echo of the music coming from Harry's headset, so the song sounded just as it had when he'd first heard Harry sing. Maybe he'd ask Matt if they could get a recording of Harry singing without the music at all.  
Harry didn't go into a trance this time, only closed his eyes and kept Louis' hand squeezed inside his larger one the entire time.  
“Okay, that's it, you two,” Matt said a while later, waving them back out of the sound booth. “You guys did great! And it was a pleasure seeing you two together. I see big things ahead.”  
Stunned, Louis stuttered out a quick “Thank you” and they left. Did Matt think they were a couple? A legitimate couple?  
Looking over, he saw Harry watching him, too, with a curious look on his face. Stopping and letting Zayn move ahead, he turned to Harry. “Do you mind?”  
“About what?”  
“That he thought we were a couple. Us.”  
Harry chewed on his lip. “Not really. I mean, it's better than the truth, right?”  
Louis cocked his head. “What's the truth?”  
“That no one's ever gonna want me anyway, so might as well pretend,” Harry shrugged.  
Sighing, Louis looked around for a more private place to have this conversation. Seeing an alleyway, he tugged Harry inside, waving Zayn away when the dark boy moved to join them. “You really shouldn't say those kinds of things, Harry. It makes me believe that you believe them.”  
Harry shrugged again. Louis could believe what he wanted. It was true. Who would want a boy with two kids who could end up pregnant again? And he said as much. He was shocked when Louis took a firm grip on his arms and shook him slightly.  
“Don't think that, Harry. You're amazing. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. And the fact that you have babies only adds because it means you're special. So, so special.”  
“A freak, you mean.”  
“No,” Louis said firmly. “Special.” He released Harry's arms and scooped a hand through his hair, turning away before spinning back. “It doesn't have to be pretend, you know.”  
Harry just looked at him, confused. “Huh?”  
“Us. You said we might as well pretend. It doesn't have to be just pretend.”  
“Louis, be serious. I'm not going to fake date you.”  
“Who said anything about fake? Like I said, anyone would be lucky to be with you. I wanna be lucky.”  
“You're being serious?” Harry asked, walking up to Louis until they were stomach to chest. “You're really being serious.”  
“Dead serious. Will you go out with me, Harry? On a real date?”  
A slow smile bloomed on Harry's face. “Yes. Though, I hope it's somewhere better than here.” He looked over and crinkled his nose at the pile of trash bags a few meters from them.  
“Hey, just remember that you're the one who spilled baby formula on me the first time we met. Every big step of our relationship has to have some kind of mess around.”  
Harry burst out laughing so hard he had to lean against Louis to stay upright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	8. Chapter 8

It took three days to hear from Mr. Banks about the tracks they recorded. In that time, Harry turned into a nervous wreck, pacing around the flat until Louis had to threaten to tie him to the bed. Which then turned into a slightly naughty conversation that ended in a nice snogging session. Before Harry chewed his fingers raw while sitting on the couch and watching a movie.  
Finally, Zayn called to tell them that a meeting was set up for the next morning.   
Because the babies tended to keep Harry awake half the night if not sung to – and because Louis wanted to take advantage of finally being a real couple – Harry was sleeping in Louis' bed so Louis could more easily sing the twins to sleep. That night, though, Harry was the one that couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned from side to side, unable to find a position that kept his back from aching.   
Eventually, he sighed and managed to push himself up so he was sitting on the side of the bed. Maybe he just needed to stretch his back a little. Standing up with a little difficulty, he swung his arms around in wide circles before carefully stretching them over his head, sure to keep his feet firmly planted since he'd learned his lesson about his new center of gravity. Pressing his hands to the small of his back, he massaged the aching muscles there gently before slowly arching back, making sure he was over the bed in case he tipped.  
His pained gasp was enough to wake Louis from his sleep.  
“Harry?” When Louis didn't find Harry in the bed, he turned the bedside light on. Seeing Harry frozen in pain with one hand on his stomach and one on his back, he quickly threw back the blankets. “What is it? What's wrong?”  
“I...I don't know. It hurts,” Harry whimpered.  
“What hurts?”  
“My stomach. My stomach hurts. I...I think the babies are coming.”  
Louis' eyes went wide with horror and he had to stop himself from panicking. “Okay, it's okay. It's going to be okay, Harry. Can you walk?” He didn't know if he'd be able to carry Harry.  
Harry shook his head. “Hurts to move.”  
“Okay. Okay, you just stay right there, Harry. I'm calling an ambulance.” Louis scrambled for his mobile and punched in Emergency, trying to be calm as he told the operator what was happening. But his patience ran out when she didn't believe him that his boyfriend was pregnant and threatened to send the police to deal with the prank call.  
“Fine, send the police. Just send an ambulance, too!” He furiously pressed the end button and turned to Harry, his heart breaking at seeing the tears running down Harry's face.  
“It's too early,” Harry sobbed. “They can't come, yet. The doctor said eight months. I'm not even at seven. It's too early.”  
Louis tried to soothe him as much as possible without really knowing what was going to happen. But he had to believe that Harry and the twins were going to be okay. They just had to be.  
Several minutes later, a pounding on the door had Louis leaving Harry and letting in two police officers. Since there were no medics with them, Louis growled and showed the officers into the bedroom where Harry was still stuck in the same position, obvious pregnant belly shoved toward the doorway. The two men froze before one cursed and immediately radioed for an ambulance.   
When it finally arrived, Harry was gently lifted onto the stretcher, wincing at the pain of moving and rolled out of the apartment, Louis' hand clasped tightly in his own. The officers followed to give the ambulance an escort through the mostly empty streets. Louis wondered if the two men were just fascinated by what they were seeing because they also came into the emergency room with him.  
“Something you needed, officers?” he asked in frustration because the nurses weren't allowing him to go with Harry, insisting that he fill out multiple forms.   
“Wanted to make sure everything was okay,” the one who'd radioed for the ambulance said.  
“Yeah, not everyday we see a pregnant boy,” his partner added.  
“Well, now you have.” Louis didn't care that he was being rude. And they seemed to understand because neither said a word about it before they left.  
Fifteen minutes later, Louis was finally finished the paperwork and allowed back to where Harry was being examined. Rushing to his boyfriend's side, he watched as the doctor gently prodded Harry's stomach.  
“How far along?”  
“About twenty-seven weeks. My doctor said she couldn't be sure.” Harry bit hard on his bottom lip to keep from yelling at the pain.  
“And you said it's twins?”  
“Yes.”  
“Where's the pain, exactly?”  
It took Harry two tries to tell him because he kept having to pause and bear down on the pain.  
“I don't like this,” the doctor said quietly. “I'm taking you up for an ultrasound. It's likely you'll need a C-section quickly.”  
Harry looked a bit horrified. “The...the babies?”  
The doctor gave Harry's hand a little pat as the orderlies unlocked the bed's wheels to roll him out of the exam room. “I'll know more after the ultrasound but I don't want you to worry. We have an excellent neo-natal ward here.”  
Louis looked at him gratefully as Harry's face relaxed a little.  
Three hours later, Harry was sleeping off the anesthesia from the C-section and Louis was standing in a light green hallway, staring through the glass as two tiny bodies were being hooked up to machines by robed, gloved, and masked nurses. He watched as they were gently placed into clear, sterile boxes and shut in to protect them from the outside world.  
When one of the nurses came out, she removed her mask and smiled gently. “Don't you worry, Daddy. Those angels are survivors. I can tell.”  
Tears in his eyes, Louis just nodded and croaked out a “Thank you” before she left him alone.  
The ultrasound had showed the womb-like organ that Harry's body had created around the twins was pushing his other organs dangerously out of place. The pain he'd felt were his kidneys starting to be pulled loose from the muscles around them. Luckily, after removing the twins, the surgeon had been able to go in and repair the minor damage. If Harry had tried to ignore the pain, or had moved much more than he did, the doctor said it could have been much worse.  
Louis couldn't take his eyes off Harry's children, pressing a hand against the glass like he could somehow reach them. It was a miracle they'd survived the C-section, as under-developed as they were. They'd have to stay in hospital for weeks if not months before they were healthy enough for Harry to take home.  
Eventually, a nurse found him standing there. “Your boyfriend's asking for you,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “The doctor says you can see him now, but only for a few minutes. He needs to rest.”  
Louis nodded and followed her to Harry's room.  
Harry was as pale as a ghost, his eyes closed when Louis silently walked in. But, the moment Louis touched his hand, he opened them. “How are they?” he asked, his voice raspy. “My babies?”  
“They're okay,” Louis rushed to assure him. “I was just looking at them. The nurse says they're survivors.”  
Harry's eyes closed again and he let out a little sob. “I was so scared.”  
“I know, love. Me, too. But they're fine. They're going to be fine. I know it.”  
“Can I see them?”  
Louis looked at the nurse in the doorway. She shook her head sadly. “Sorry, love. Not just yet. You need to rest more before you can move. Your insides were all messed up. And they have to stay where they are, too.”  
“I need to see them. Please,” Harry pleaded.  
“Shh...try to rest, Harry. Maybe when you wake up it'll be different, okay?”  
Harry sniffled. “Can you stay?”  
Again, Louis received a negative answer when he looked at the nurse, even when he gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. “I want to, love, but they're kicking me out. But I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise. And I always keep my promises, remember?”  
“I remember.” Harry was already fading out, so Louis pressed a kiss to his forehead. Holding up his hand to stop the nurse when she started to shoo him out, Louis softly sang the lullaby into Harry's   
ear to ease him that last little bit.  
Louis stopped by the neo-natal ward for one last look at the twins before leaving the hospital, taking a taxi back to his flat and collapsing into bed.  
Hours later, a pounding on his door woke him up and he stumbled to answer it before whoever was outside split the wood.  
Zayn immediately pounced on him as he and Liam let themselves in. “Where have you been?” he shrieked. “I called and you didn't answer. The same with Harry. You missed the meeting!” He stopped, seeing the exhaustion in his friend's face. “What's going on, Lou? Where's Harry?”  
“Hospital. He had the babies last night.”  
“What?” came two startled exclamations.  
“Isn't it too soon?” Liam asked.  
Louis nodded and turned to sit on the couch. “The babies were too large for his body to handle, according to the doctor. They were pushing against his kidneys, almost tore them out of place. Would have if they didn't give Harry a C-section immediately.”  
“Christ, Lou,” Zayn said, sitting next to him. “Is Harry okay? Are the babies?”  
“When I left, yes. But the twins are so small, it's scary. The whole thing was scary.”  
“I'm sure it was.” Liam put an arm around Louis and squeezed gently. “Is there anything you need from us? Anything we can do?”  
“Just, can you tell Mr. Banks I'm sorry we didn't get to the meeting? And I don't know when we'll be able to reschedule?”  
“Of course. That's not a problem,” Zayn assured him immediately. “Should we call anyone else? Your mum? Harry's?”  
Louis just shook his head. “I'll call my mum later. And Harry's mum doesn't deserve to know anything about this.”  
Liam shared a confused look with Zayn about that comment, but let it go. It was probably not Louis' place to tell, anyway. “Okay.”  
Louis rubbed tiredly at his face. “What time's it?”  
“Nearly eleven. Why?” Zayn asked when Louis groaned.  
“Told Harry I'd be back soon.”  
“Come on, we'll drop you off. Maybe they'll let us see him for a moment.”  
“Sure, okay.” Going into the bedroom, Louis dressed and grabbed a few things Harry might need before letting Liam and Zayn bundle him out the door.  
At the hospital, only Louis was allowed into Harry's room, and only because the nurse felt sorry for Harry. They still weren't letting him go look at his babies for fear of damaging the repair work done inside him. Before going in, Louis whispered something to Zayn and received a nod before the other couple left him alone at the nurse's station.  
Harry was sitting slightly propped up when he entered. Louis was glad to see more color in his cheeks than when he'd left early that morning, but he hated seeing the misery in those green eyes. “Why can't I see them?” Harry asked pitifully. “Is something wrong and they don't want me to know?”  
“Nothing's wrong with the twins, Harry. I just stopped to see them. How are you feeling?”  
“Sore. But that's it. And weird. Like something's missing.”  
“That's the enormous belly you're missing, love.”  
Harry quirked a small smile at him. And then studied Louis' face. “Did you sleep?”  
“A little. Zayn woke me up trying to break down the door because we missed our meeting this morning,” he hurried on when he saw the guilt on Harry's face. “Don't even think of apologizing, Harry Styles. If they won't be understanding about what happened, I refuse to work with them ever again.”  
Harry sighed and settled back against his pillows. “Lou, tell me about them?”  
Louis didn't need to ask for clarification on who. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he described the twins to Harry as much as he could from what he'd seen through that glass barrier. Harry listened with raft attention, soaking up every detail like a sponge; he couldn't wait to see them himself.  
After about an hour, Louis excused himself, claiming to need something to eat since it was lunch time and Harry was dozing off. In the lobby, he found Zayn waiting with the small folder Louis had asked for.  
“Thanks for doing this, mate. He's really upset.”  
“No problem. Call me with updates, yeah? And I'll make sure Banks is aware of the situation.”  
Louis watched Zayn head through the automatic doors before turning to the payphone off to the side. Making a single call, he grabbed a sandwich from the deli to support his lie even though he wasn't hungry and went back up to sit at Harry's bedside.  
By the time Harry woke up, Louis had convinced the nurses to ease the restrictions a bit. Not enough to let Harry see his babies, but just a little. So Harry woke up to four people sitting around his bed.  
“Barb, Caro, Dee!” he cried happily, opening his arms to accept gentle hugs. “Why are you here?”  
Barbara gave him a glare. “Of course we'd be here. Louis called us a little while ago to tell us what happened. We had to come over immediately.”  
“But, who'd at the bakery?”  
“It's closed.” Dee shook her head at Harry's shocked look. “None of us was willing to be left behind. We'll open back up later, after we make sure you and the twins are really alright.”  
“I'm fine,” Harry insisted. “Hardly any pain.”  
Barbara hummed, not truly believing him. “Well, don't think you're coming back to work any time soon. Those babes are going to need you full-time until they're ready to go home.”  
Harry grinned. “I can't wait to take them home.” And it felt really nice to think of Louis' flat as home for his children.  
When they were all just grinning at each other, Louis spoke up. “I've got a surprise.” He pulled out the folder he'd gotten from Zayn.  
“What is it?” Harry asked.  
“You're babies.” He handed over the folder and motioned a confused Harry to open it.  
Inside were glossy photos of the twins in their artificial wombs, taken through the glass window. And close-up versions done as charcoal sketches, showing their tiny sleeping faces, tiny hands curled up by their cheeks.  
“Oh my God,” Harry breathed, tears welling up in his eyes. “My babies. These are my babies.”  
“Yes, they are,” Louis confirmed, though Harry hadn't been asking; he'd instantly recognized his babies.   
The three ladies didn't ask Harry to give up the pictures, just craned their necks to get good looks. “They're amazing, Harry. Just like you,” Dee said softly.  
“This is great, Lou. How did you?” Harry asked, eyes gleaming up at his boyfriend.  
“Zayn took the pictures and got them developed at one of those fifteen minute places. Then he did the sketches. Said it was the least he could do.”  
“Thank him for me, okay?”  
“You can thank him yourself, love.”  
“Yeah. I will. I definitely will.”  
“Harry, love, I have a question,” Caro said suddenly. When Harry looked up at her in question, she put both hands on her hips. “When are you going to name those precious bundles so we can stop calling them the 'babies,' 'bundles,' or 'twins'?”  
Harry blinked, completely thrown. “Um.” He looked up at Louis, who laughed.  
“Harry hasn't even considered names, apparently.”  
“Harry!” all three ladies exclaimed.  
“They weren't supposed to be here for weeks!” he defended.   
“Well, you'd better get thinking, mister. I'm not making you a congratulations cake that says 'Harry and the babies',” Barbara warned.  
Harry laughed. “I'll think about it.” He grabbed Louis hand on impulse. “We'll think about it.”  
Louis was still shocked at the gesture when Barbara and the other left, kissing Harry on the forehead and telling him to feel better soon.  
“Are you sure, Harry? You want me to help name them?”  
“Why not?” Harry asked. “You're going to help take care of them.”  
“But, I'm not really their...not really.” As much as he wanted it, he wasn't really their father.  
“Except you act like it in every way,” Harry pointed out. “Aren't you the one who told me family doesn't have to mean blood?”  
Louis suddenly swooped down to kiss Harry hard on the mouth. “You're right. I can't argue with my own words. I'd be honored to help you name those angels.”  
Harry hummed a moment. “What about Angel? For the girl.”  
“Name your angel Angel, you mean?” Louis smiled.  
Harry shrugged. “It's an idea.”  
“I don't think we should be so literal, love. Try some subtlety.”  
“Maybe something about strength, then. Since they're obviously fighters.”  
Louis thought for a moment. “I've got it. Gabriel. For the boy. It means 'warrior angel' or something like that.”  
Harry beamed and nodded. “It's perfect. Now, the girl.”  
“Not a clue,” Louis admitted. “This one's on you.”  
“Hey! That rhymes,” Harry laughed, stalling. “You should make that into a song.”  
Louis laughed, too. “How about I write a whole series of songs about you, pregnancy, and having babies?”  
“Sounds good to me.” Harry went silent, his mind roaming as he tried to find a name that suited his little girl. Looking back down at the sketch Zayn did, he said, “Aurora. Sleeping Beauty.”  
“Gabriel and Aurora,” Louis said, trying out the names. “Gabriel Styles. Aurora Styles. I like them. Unique but not abnormal.”  
“I like them, too. Only, you left out parts. Gabriel Louis Styles and Aurora Barbara Styles.”  
Again, Louis was left speechless at the honor Harry had given him. So he showed his appreciation and acceptance through a long kiss. “Barbara's going to go nuts when she hears, you know.”  
“I know. You have to let me tell her,” Harry laughed.  
It was the next day before the doctor declared Harry headed enough to visit his babies. Or maybe he and the nurses were just tired of hearing Harry complain every single time one of them entered his room. Either way, he was carefully transferred to a wheelchair and taken to see them.  
Since he wasn't technically family, Louis had to watch through the window as Harry was wheeled to first Gabriel and then Aurora, pushing his sterilized hands through the sleeves to gently touch and make sure he wasn't imagining them. Louis grinned at the amazed look on Harry's face when, as he stroked a finger over Aurora's small fist, it suddenly opened and curled around his finger. She let go almost immediately, shifting slightly and pushing her fist against her pursed mouth. Harry looked like he'd stopped breathing as he stared down at her.  
When a protesting Harry was wheeled back into the hall, Louis was there to meet them. “What's that saying about being wrapped around a little finger?” he asked facetiously.  
“Oh, shut up,” Harry said, still smiling. He looked up at the nurse. “When can I come back?” he asked eagerly.   
She laughed, understanding. “If your doctor says it's okay, maybe after they've been fed. We still have to be careful not to overwhelm their delicate systems.”  
Harry nodded, more than willing to do anything to make sure they were okay. Even if he couldn't do anything more than look at them until they were fully developed.  
“See, if you'd just told him that in the beginning, you could have saved yourselves a lot of trouble trying to keep him in bed,” Louis pointed out, receiving a disgruntled look from the nurse in response, even as Harry laughingly agreed.   
“Oh,” Harry said suddenly, grabbing the arm of the chair and making both Louis and the nurse look at him in fear.  
“What is it? What's wrong? Are you in pain?”  
Harry giggled. “Sorry. I just remembered I haven't finished filling out the forms for the babies yet.”  
Louis rolled his eyes. “Don't do that, curly,” he scolded.  
When he was back in his room, the nurse brought in the forms Harry needed and Louis sat off to the side as Harry worked through them.   
“Lou, can you sign this for me?” Harry asked absently, handing over a single piece of paper, not looking up from the one he was writing on. “Just where I marked.”  
Figuring Harry only needed a witness, Louis signed without reading the paper. It was only after he'd dated it that he saw the words “Official Birth Certificate” at the top. Looking over, he saw that Harry's pen was poised but still and Harry was peeking at him sideways through his fringe. “Harry,” Louis said slowly. “What did I just sign my name to?”  
“A paper.” Louis waited. “Saying that you're Gabriel and Aurora's father.”  
“Harry!”  
Harry put his paper aside. “Well, I'm sorry,” he huffed. “It's just, I love you and want you to be here with me always and I want you to be able to do everything with me, especially look after the twins because I know you love them as much as I do. And I want to be sure that, if anything happens, you'll get them instead of them going off to an orphanage or something. And I asked the nurse and she said that, if you're listed as the father, they can legally let you come into the nursery with me and I so wanted you there with me today. We can tear up that piece of paper if you want but I really, really want this and I hoped that maybe you would, too.” He ended with a firm nod and waited for Louis' reaction.  
Louis tried to count how many times Harry said “and” in his rant as he waited for it to sink in. “You really want this?” he said cautiously.  
“I really, really, really want this,” Harry said, emphasizing every “really” with a nod.  
“Good. I really, really, really want this, too,” Louis laughed, bending over to seal it with a kiss. “Isn't there another I have to sign? This one is just Aurora.”  
Harry eagerly handed over Gabriel's birth certificate and smiled happily as Louis signed it with a flourish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are mine.


	9. Chapter 9

Louis knew the doctors would kill him if they ever found out what he was doing, but he had no choice. Harry had been released from hospital but was still supposed to do as little as possible for another week, which meant someone had to stay with him. But Louis had already used all of his sick and vacation time at the store keeping Harry company, though he did manage to get to the club every night after Harry fell asleep.  
Having borrowed a wheelchair from Caro, whose late husband had required one, Louis wheeled Harry into the bakery. “Remember. Not one step out of that chair unless you're headed to the loo,” he said, helping Harry into one of the chairs around the tea table. “I'll be back as soon as my shift's over.”  
Harry folded his arms over his chest and pouted. “What am I supposed to do all day, then?”  
“Let Barb and the others spoil and stuff you. You're too thin without the twins inside you, love. And be grateful you're out of the flat because I could have asked one of them to come sit with you there. You'll have more fun here.” He grinned and dropped a kiss on Harry's curls.  
“Treating me like a baby,” Harry muttered crossly.  
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” was Louis' advice. “You'll be fully recovered soon and everyone'll be back to treating you like an adult.”  
Harry snorted. “You and the ladies never treat me like an adult.”  
Louis didn't argue. “Yeah, well, that might change now that you've got your own children to take care of. I've got to go or I'll be late. You be good for the sitters or no dessert tonight, understand?” He laughed with Harry stuck out his tongue. “See? So mature already. Bye, love. See you later, ladies!” he called toward the kitchen.

“Lou.”  
Louis looked up from restocking a collection of dolls to see Zayn walking casually down the aisle toward him. Standing, he brushed off his knees and waited. “What's up?” Zayn had never visited him at the store before.  
“Stopped by the hospital and was told Harry's been discharged.”  
“Yeah, they finally let him go last night. Sorry. Forgot to let you know. Was there something you needed to talk to him about?”  
“No problem, mate. Actually, wanted to talk to both of you. Banks called.” Zayn held up a hand when Louis tensed. “He said there's absolutely no pressure to get back to him. Just wanted me to pass on a message.”  
“Okay.” Louis tried not to be nervous about what the message might be; Zayn was relaxed and smiling, so surely it wouldn't be anything bad. “What's the message?”  
“Let me make sure I have it right.” Zayn dug a piece of paper out of his pocket and read, “Big-shots heard the tracks you recorded and loved them, especially the lullaby. They want more examples of Harry singing solo; covers, originals, whatever. And a few more duets of the two of you.” He read them off point-by-point casually, pretending not to notice how Louis was slowly sinking to the floor.   
Crouching, he handed the paper over so Louis could read for himself. “Banks had to say it twice because I couldn't believe it. He also said that he understands the circumstances are complicated, right now, so there's no expiration date on any of this.” Zayn smiled when Louis finally looked up from reading and rereading the words, his whole face slack with disbelief.  
“Is this...Is this true?” he asked.  
“Completely true, Lou. You've done it, mate. They really want you two if they're willing to wait like this.”  
Louis nodded numbly. “I...I need...to talk to Harry.”  
“Well, duh. Do you want me to come with you? Now?”  
Louis looked down at the boxes of dolls at his feet. “I can't, now. I don't have any more leave and I need this job to pay hospital bills.”  
Zayn bit his tongue to keep from pointing out that, soon, between his songwriting and the potential for Harry's singing, they wouldn't have to worry about paying for anything. But, it still wasn't one hundred percent guaranteed, only about ninety percent, in his opinion.  
“Okay, mate. Uh, can you help me out a bit?” he asked suddenly.  
Louis raised an eyebrow. “What?”  
“I actually didn't know I'd find you here, today. I came to get something for Harry. From me and Liam.”  
Louis laughed and led the way to his favorite section. “You're lucky I know everything he already has or is getting so you won't be getting duplicates.”  
Ten minutes later, he watched his best mate leave the store with a foam pad shaped like a flower that cradled the baby in the sink during baths and two tiny bibs saying “Daddy's Little Angel” and “Li'l Bruiser.”  
Back with the dolls, Louis couldn't concentrate and often found himself sitting there in the middle of the aisle staring off at nothing. He couldn't believe how much his life had changed. In just months, he'd gone from being a normal, single store clerk, to singing in a club, to having a wonderful, loving boyfriend, two precious babies, and a record deal just waiting around the corner. It was almost too good to be true.  
At the end of his shift, Louis felt a bit guilty for having done practically nothing after Zayn left, but he hurried over to the bakery to collect Harry. Apologizing for not having time to sit and chat, he wheeled Harry home, not talking for fear of letting Banks' message slip when he didn't really have time to discuss it with Harry.  
He bullied Harry into bed, made sure he had things to keep him entertained, and set an apple, a bag of crisps, and a bottle of water on the nightstand next to the samples Barbara always gave them.  
“Louis. Lou. You're being ridiculous,” Harry laughed. “I can walk across the flat to the kitchen if I get hungry.”  
Kissing him, Louis smirked. “Knowing you, you'd not bother turning on the light and end up tripping over a shoe. I don't want to be worrying all night.”  
Harry huffed and fought back a smile. “Fine. I promise to leave a light on the whole time and not leave the bed except for the loo.”  
“Thanks, love.” With another kiss, he hurried to strip and change into his outfit for the club. “I'll be home right after my third set. Try not to stay up, okay?”  
“Maybe. Possibly.” He might stay up just to prove he could.  
“Try.”

“Hey, Louis!”  
Louis groaned when he heard Nick calling him just as he started for the door. “See ya, Nick,” he called and waved, not looking back.  
“What's the rush? Have a drink with me.”  
“Sorry. Tired. See you tomorrow.”  
Nick's eyes narrowed on Louis' back. “It's that pregnant boy, isn't it? Harvey.”  
Louis stopped in his tracks and finally turned around. “Harry. What about him?” he asked shortly.  
“Can't you see he's using you, Louis? Prolly got himself knocked up from sleeping around; prolly learned from his whore neighbors,” Nick muttered the last bit, but Louis still heard. “Finding you must have been a dream for him. Caring, sweet, good-looking, financially-stable. He's even stopped working so you have to care of everything! I see how tired you've been lately. You don't deserve to be tied down like this. You're gonna be a star; you should be free to have fun!”  
Louis snapped and stormed over to the bar, leaning over until he could drill a finger into the stunned man's chest. “You know nothing about my life, Nick, and less than nothing about Harry's,” he snarled. “You're not my friend, so don't act all concerned about me. All you want is me to go out with you, not Harry, so that knocks you way down on my list of people to give a damn about.  
“Just so you can stop being so delusional and not because you deserve to know, I'm going to give you a bit of information. Ready? I love Harry. I love him.” He gave Nick a poke on each word. “I don't give a shit if he doesn't know who the father of his babies is; I'm gonna be their father, now. I don't give a damn if he can't work because he's too busy taking care of our kids; I make enough to support us. He's not 'using' me; I have to fight to get him to let me take care of him!”  
Louis shoved Nick away from him. “You have no right to talk about him like that, or anyway at all. No right to even think about him like that. I never want to hear another word from you about him, again!” he yelled, ignoring the stares he was receiving. Just as he was about to leave, he spun back and slapped Nick across the face. “You leave Harry alone. You've been following him like some psycho, haven't you?” It made sense to Louis, now.  
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Nick hissed, furious with humiliation. How dare the little twink talk to him like this?  
“I never told you Harry wasn't working anymore, so how the hell do you know that, huh? And how do you know about his old neighbors? Don't you ever go near him again or I will call the police.”  
Leaving multiple people gaping in shock and Nick practically vibrating with rage, Louis slammed out of the club.  
One of the bouncers went up to Nick after a few seconds. “What was that about?”  
“It's private,” Nick ground out.  
“Not so private when he's shouting like that. Never seen him do anything but smile and laugh. Maybe a little sass here and there, but never that.”  
“Leave it,” Nick snapped, stomping away into the storeroom to make a private phone call.

For the next two weeks, Louis completely ignored Nick at the club. He spent his time between sets chatting with the house band, showing off pictures of the twins, who were growing at an amazing rate.  
He already had three songs written about them, one written specifically for Harry's voice, which the younger boy was practicing until they could schedule time with Matt at the studio. Louis had been a little surprised at how eager Harry was to sing again. But it was wonderful hearing that voice crooning softly to the twins when they visited the hospital for hours on the weekends, and when Louis came home from work and found Harry puttering and singing along to the radio.  
Louis had never been happier.  
Though, it would still be another month before Aurora and Gabriel could be released, according to their doctors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are mine.


	10. Chapter 10

The month passed quickly and Harry waited anxiously for the nurses to finish getting his little ones ready. In the hours he'd spent sitting next to their cradles, he'd learned everything he'd need to know about taking care of them. Now, it was time to put the lessons to the test.  
Louis rushed in, still wearing his Toys'R'Us vest, making Harry grin. “Oh, good. I'm not late.”  
“You're not late,” Harry assured him. “It's chilly outside today so they're making sure Gabe and Aury are bundled up proper.”  
Before Louis could respond, two nurses came in, each holding an infant carrier. With everything going on, Louis hadn't had a chance to get to visit his mum and pick up the things she'd made for them, so they were having to borrow from the hospital; he was taking the train to Doncaster in the morning, so it wouldn't be for too long.  
“Special delivery for Mr. Styles and Mr. Tomlinson,” one of the nurses giggled. All of the nurses tending the twins had grown quite fond of the small, unique family in the almost two months since Harry gave birth.  
Harry eagerly stepped forward. “There they are,” he cooed, crouching down. “There are my angels. Ready to go home?”  
Aurora's pale green eyes blinked up at him. Gabriel let out a tiny grunt in his sleep.  
Louis laughed and helped Harry to his feet. “Thank you so much for taking care of them,” he said to the nurses, taking Gabriel's carrier while Harry took Aurora's.  
“It was our pleasure, Louis. Such strong little ones.” They watched as Louis guided Harry out of the waiting room, free arm firmly tucked around the trim waist. “They'll be good dads,” one said firmly.  
Louis led Harry out to where Liam and Zayn waited to drive them back to their flat. Liam ignored the honks, yells, and rude gestures thrown his way as he drove carefully through the late afternoon London traffic.  
Zayn turned around in his seat when they were stopped at a yellow light. “So, Harry, how'd your session with Matt go yesterday?” Both Louis and Harry had officially made Zayn and Liam their co-managers at the last contract negotiation with the record company.  
“Great. The big-shots,” their nickname for Banks' bosses, “think it's almost time for a release of the lullaby to hit big, so we did a few versions to find the best one.”  
Louis turned, just as shocked as the other two. “You didn't tell me they're gonna release it soon,” he accused.  
Harry giggled and lightly elbowed him. “I couldn't talk last night, remember?”  
The feathery-haired boy blushed. “Oh, right.”  
“Hey, now,” Liam said quickly. “Don't need to hear about your bedroom games. And there are innocent ears in the car, now.”  
Harry laughed. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Payne. All I meant was, since Matt knew I'd be busy with my angels, he had me singing 'til my voice broke. I was strictly ordered not to say a word until this morning and to drink lots of honeyed tea.” He leaned over to whisper in Louis' ear. “Though maybe we should try that other thing. Wouldn't want to wake the babies, would we?”  
Louis froze, eyes going wide as he stared at his boyfriend before he gave an almost imperceptible nod.  
When Liam dropped them at the door of their building, Harry started to get nervous. This was it. He and Louis were all on their own, now.  
Easily reading Harry's thoughts, Louis moved them into the lift. “Don't worry, love. Everything's going to be fine.”  
“How do you know?”  
“Because we've spent months preparing. We've learned everything we could. And because we love these little ones. Nothing else matters.” Louis opened the door of their flat and let Harry enter first. “And remember. If we have an questions or problems, there are three experienced grannies at the bakery willing to help.”  
“And your mum. I still need to thank her for making the carriers,” Harry said, carrying Aurora into his old bedroom, which had been converted fully into a nursery.  
Both babies were sleeping, now, so they were carefully placed in the crib. Harry stood, looking down at them in wonder. Louis wrapped both arms around him from behind and raised up slightly to prop his chin on the taller boy's shoulder so he, too, could peer down.   
“They're beautiful,” he breathed into Harry's ear. “You did good, Harry.”  
Harry smiled softly, running a finger lightly over Gabriel's cheek. “I did, didn't I?  
Spinning Harry around suddenly, Louis pressed him back against the bars of the crib and kissed him hard. “We're gonna be the best dads!” he announced.  
Harry burst out laughing and then smiled sheepishly when both infants started fussing. “Oops.”  
Louis grinned as he lifted Aurora and passed her to her daddy, cradling Gabriel in his own arms. “Hi, there, big guy. Did Daddy Harry wake you up?”  
“Daddy Harry wouldn't have woken them up if Papa Louis hadn't made him laugh,” Harry said in a sing-song voice, trying to rock Aurora back to sleep.  
Both babies were soon sleeping peacefully again, so Louis and Harry left the nursery, closing the door silently to keep from disturbing them.  
“Let's go to bed early,” Louis suggested. “Everyone's been telling us to get as much sleep as possible.”  
Harry gave him a knowing look. “Sleep, huh? Is that what you're gonna go with?”  
Louis looked at him innocently. “What else would I mean? I have an early train in the morning and the twins will probably wake us up every couple of hours.”  
“Uh huh.” Harry didn't believe the innocence for a moment. “When will you be back?”  
“Tomorrow evening. Just gonna pick up the stuff from Mum's and come right back. I talked to Barbara and Caro's going to come over in the morning to help you out since it's still so new.”  
“Oh, okay.” Harry casually moved over to Louis and then suddenly threw the smaller boy over his shoulder, shushing him when he protested loudly. “Let's go to bed early.”

Louis slowly climbed out of bed before the sun was up the next morning, trying not to wake the young man beside him. It was true that babies wake up every few hours and, though they'd traded off on who got up to tend them, the cries still woke both of them each time.  
And, right on schedule, the baby monitor transmitted the first small whimpers that proceeded a scream. He hurried across the flat to try to forestall that. Aurora hadn't yet woken her brother, so Louis carefully lifted her out of the crib.  
Since her diaper was dry and she didn't seem hungry when he pressed a bottle to her lips, he just rocked her gently in his arms until she quieted down.  
“There you go, little beauty. Back to sleep,” he whispered, laying her down and waiting to make sure she stayed asleep.  
Leaving the flat, he started making his way to the train station along the dark, deserted street, his mind on how surprised Harry would be when he saw what else Louis was bringing back, other than the carriers.  
He was passing under a broken street lamp when a car pulled up next to him. A person jumped out of the back seat, grabbed Louis, and dragged him inside before Louis could make a sound. He fought desperately against the hands holding him until a wet rag was shoved over his face and he felt dizzy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are mine.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed a little drama. Sorry.

Louis' head pounded as he regained consciousness. He tried to move, thinking he'd fallen asleep with his head in a bad position, and panicked when he realized his hands were taped behind his back.  
Remembering what had happened, his eyes flew open and he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. He was laying on a soft bed in a normal looking bedroom. Sun filtered into the room through sheer curtains. There was no one in the room with him, but his heart skipped a beat when he recognized the man in the picture on the bedside table.  
Trying to call out for help, Louis found tape covering his mouth kept his silent.  
Long minutes of squirming, trying to get out of the tape binding him, only succeeded in making him slide off the bed to the floor. The thud must have been overheard because Louis looked up when the door opened.  
He expected Nick to walk in and furrowed his brow in confusion when he saw a strange man instead. Wasn't Nick the one who'd grabbed him? What was going on?”  
“Ah, you're awake,” the man said pleasantly, sitting on the bed and looking down at Louis, a strange smile on his face. “Nick will be pleased when he gets back. I fear he doesn't like waiting. You've managed to piss him off quite nicely.”  
Louis tried to demand who the man was, but couldn't.  
The man laughed cruelly. “Yes, I'm quite glad I met Nick when I did. Imagine, both of us following the same boy at the same time.” He smiled in amusement that Louis didn't share. “I honestly thought he was interested in my Harry, at first, and I wasn't happy. You understand wanting him to oneself, I'm sure, Louis.” Apparently tired of sitting, he walked to the window, opening the curtains and making Louis wince when the bright sunlight hit his eyes. “So, I was quite pleased to find that Nick was, in fact, interested in you, instead. Yes, it was actually perfect.” He looked back at the bound boy. “You see, Louis, it was never my intention to lose Harry in the first place. When I saw him at that party, tasted him the first time, how sweet he is...You know the sweetness I'm talking about, Louis?” he asked with a quick kick to Louis' stomach. “I'm sure you've tasted it. After that, I knew he had to be mine. Unfortunately, I was forced to go away for awhile before I could finish acquiring him.”   
He lifted Louis from the floor by his hair and threw him carelessly onto the bed. “I was not happy to come back and find my Harry pregnant and whoring himself for you, I must say. I would have taken him back immediately but I have no interest in those brats of his and it would have been too dangerous to get rid of them while they were inside of him, so I had to wait. And watch him with you.” He pulled Louis' head up until they were face to face. “Yes, helping Nick get his hands on you suited my purposes wonderfully. He gets what he wants, it gets you away from my Harry, and I get what I want. Once I'm rid of those two brats, Harry will be mine forever.”  
Louis felt his initial fear growing exponentially as he listened to the man talking so calmly about everything. The way he talked about getting rid of Gabriel and Aurora made his blood run cold. He couldn't let this man touch either of them, or Harry.  
“Well, it's time for me to head out. Enjoy your time with Nick, Louis; I know I'll enjoy mine with Harry.”  
Louis screamed behind his gag, pulling as hard as he could against the tape around his wrists as the man walked out of the room, leaving him alone again. Tears welled and spilled from his eyes as he couldn't get free.  
He didn't know how much time passed, but he watched the sun slowly move across the sky before the door opened again. Seeing Nick standing there, he shifted away from the man he thought he'd known.  
“Don't be scared, Louis,” Nick started and received a glare. “If you'd just gone out with me in the first place, none of this would be happening.”  
Louis stared in amazement. Nick was trying to put the blame on him? Really?  
Sitting on the bed, Nick reached for Louis. “Will you be quiet if I take off the tape?”  
As much as he wanted to yell that Nick was insane for thinking Louis would ever go along with this silently, Louis nodded. He had to get to Harry. To do that, he had to convince Nick to let him go, or at least undo the tape so he could escape. And making the man angry wouldn't do that.  
Wincing as the tape was torn from his lips, he coughed dryly. “Why, Nick?”  
“Because I want you. I always get what I want.”  
“But, that man. He's gonna hurt Harry. Why'd you help him?” Louis didn't fight the fresh tears; if Nick felt sympathy for him, so much the better.  
“Helping him get Harry meant I'd get you. I don't care about Harry. The only reason I followed him was to get proof that he wasn't good enough for you.”  
Okay, using Harry wasn't going to get Nick to let him go. “The babies. He said he's going to get rid of the babies. He'll kill them. How can you let him kill babies?” Louis cried. He thought it was working when he saw guilt pass over Nick's face.  
But Nick shook his head and the look was gone. He grabbed Louis' ankles to keep him from kicking as he forced Louis to straddle his lap. “I don't want to talk about Rick or Harry or those babies. I want you.”  
Louis tried to pull away, but the man's strong arms were locked around his torso. “Please, Nick, stop,” he begged. “I don't want this!”  
“I don't care.” Nick firmly grabbed the hair at the back of Louis' head and slowly brought him down for a kiss.  
Louis saw the wrought-iron foot board just behind Nick as he squeezed his lips together to stop Nick's probing tongue. Knowing it was his only chance, he suddenly stopped resisting, throwing himself forward instead. The sudden change knocked Nick off balance and he fell backward, his head hitting the metal with a loud thud.  
Jumping off Nick's lap, Louis bolted out of the room. He didn't know if Nick was unconscious or just dazed, so he had to get out fast.  
Luckily, he found the front door wasn't chained or bolted so he only had to somehow turn the knob with his hands still bound behind his back. Finally getting it, he raced down the hallway toward the lift, turning sideways to press the down button frantically, one eye on Nick's door.  
He heard Nick yelling just as the lift arrived and, though Nick tried to stop it, the doors closed a moment before Nick reached them.  
Louis sagged into the corner of the lift. Nick's floor was too high for the man to use the stairs and beat the lift down, so Louis was safe. He just had to hope he could get to Harry in time.  
Running out into the street, he realized he must have been quite a sight. Hands taped behind his back, tears streaming down his face, clothes and hair mussed. No wonder people were starting to stop and stare.  
“Please, help me. I need the police,” he said to the street in general, hoping someone would listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, all that.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry fastened the last bit of tape on Gabriel's diaper and laid the baby back in the crib as a polite knock came at the door. Calling out for Caro to wait a moment, he used a wet wipe to clean his hands because he wasn't quite an expert at diaper changing, yet.  
Opening the door, he smiled politely when, instead of Caro, he found a vaguely familiar man standing there. “Can I help you?”  
“If you're Harry, then, yes, you can.”  
“I'm Harry. What can I do for you?”  
The man's smile turned ugly as he showed the gun hidden under his jacket; Harry froze. “You can come with me quietly so no one gets hurt.”  
Harry's mind jumped immediately to his children in the flat behind him; he couldn't let the man get near them. He nodded numbly and didn't fight when the man took his arm in a bruising grip.  
“Good boy. Just keep quiet and everything will be just fine.” The man pulled the door closed behind them without bothering to lock it.  
“Who are you?” Harry asked quietly as they waited for the lift.  
“You can call me Rick.”  
“You...You're the person who's been f-following me, aren't you?”  
The lift came, but was occupied so Rick kept Harry from entering, waving the lift away with a lie about still waiting for someone. He chuckled when they were alone again. “One of them, yes. Very good, Harry. The other is more interested in Louis, so we started working together.”  
The lift came again, empty, and Rick shoved Harry inside.  
“Louis?” Harry gasped. “Where's Louis? What have you done with him?”  
Rick pressed the gun more firmly to Harry's side as they exited the lift. “Hush. I haven't done anything to Louis. He's with my friend, right now.”  
Harry stumbled, wondering what was happening to Louis. What was going to happen to him?  
The man pulled Harry around to the driver's side of a car, making him get in and slide over, warning him what would happen if he tried to get out again.  
Harry pulled his knees up and hugged them as Rick drove off. “What do you want? Why are you doing this?” he demanded, finally letting tears fall.  
“I want you, Harry. I have ever since that night at the party.”  
Realization hit Harry and he felt light-headed. This man was the one who'd gotten him drunk and took his virginity. This man was the one who'd gotten him pregnant. This man was the father of his children.  
The thought was too much and Harry blacked out.

Caro frowned as she drew nearer to the boys' flat and heard the distinct sound of babies crying. Why would Harry just let them scream? Not bothering to knock, she took out the spare key Louis had given her and started to unlock the door, growing worried when she found it was already open.  
“Harry? Where are you, dear?” she called, heading straight for the nursery. Maybe he just couldn't get them to quiet down.  
But Harry wasn't with the twins.  
She spent several minutes comforting the babies before they settled and she went to the bedroom, sure that Harry couldn't have just slept through the noise.  
But Harry wasn't anywhere in the flat.  
Knowing he wouldn't have just left his children alone, she worried. Calling the mobile Louis insisted he get, she heard it ringing from the coffee table. And Louis' mobile went to voice mail.   
Quite frantic now, she was about to call the number she found in the kitchen for Louis' mum when the flat door burst open. She went out, expecting Harry, and was shocked to find Louis searching the flat desperately.  
“Where's Harry?” he demanded the moment he saw her.  
“I don't know.” She took in his appearance and the two uniformed officers that had arrived with him. “What's happened, Louis?”  
But Louis just collapsed on the couch, burying his face in his hands.  
“Madam, could you tell us what you do know?” one of the uniforms asked.  
“Harry wasn't here when I arrived. The door was unlocked and the babies were crying.”  
“Babies?”  
“Yes, Harry's newborn twins. I tried calling him but his mobile's still here. He wouldn't just leave like this. That's not like Harry.”  
“He didn't leave,” Louis said miserably. “That man, Rick, has him.”  
The two officers shared a look. There were no signs of struggle and they knew it wouldn't be the first time a new parent, especially a young one, just walked away, overwhelmed. “We'll look at the CCTV.”  
“What's going on, Louis?” Caro asked gently once the officers were gone. “What happened to you?”  
“They grabbed me this morning. A guy I work with at the club and another one, Rick. I couldn't get away. Not in time to save Harry.” He wiped away fresh tears.  
“But, why?” Caro wanted to know.  
Louis snorted. “Nick wanted me to date him. Thought Harry's not good enough. And Rick wants Harry. They're the ones who've been following Harry all this time. They were waiting until after the babies came and they could get us alone.” He looked up at Caro. “Rick, he...he's Gabe and Aury's father.”  
Caro gasped. “Where will he take Harry? What will he do?”  
“I don't know. I just don't know. He sounded insane when he was telling me all this. They took me to Nick's flat, so maybe they're going to Rick's? Only, we don't know his last name and Nick ran after I got away and the police can't find him, so we can't ask him. I don't know how they'll find him.” The last bit came out as a wail and he fell into Caro, curling his fists in her jumper as he sobbed.  
She shushed and rocked until he wore himself out, reminded that he was only twenty years old, as much as he acted more mature. Carefully laying him down, Caro called Barbara and went to get the twins ready to travel.  
They would all be safer and more comfortable at the bakery until they heard news. Especially with that man, Nick, still on the loose.  
Barbara and Dee showed up ten minutes later in their delivery van. Barbara immediately took control of Louis, assuring him that the police could contact him just as easily at the bakery as at the flat. And did he really want to just sit around by himself waiting to hear? Yes, they had everything they'd need for the babies and, if they did forget something, one of them could make the trip back without a problem.  
At the bakery, Louis sat at their tea table with the twins in their borrowed carriers in front of him. He ignored the tea cooling at his elbow as he gazed at Harry's kids, one hand on each for comfort.  
Gabriel's dark blue eyes blinked lazily as he stared back at Louis and gurgled, gumming his fist. Aurora kicked gently, her arms waving, as her green eyes darted around at all the new sights. Louis let a little smile form on his lips as he wondered if this was an indication of what their personalities would be like when they grew up.  
The bakery phone rang and Louis' head turned so quickly his neck cracked.  
Barbara picked it up before it could ring a second time. “Hello? Yes, he's here. Oh, okay. Yes, I'll tell him. Thank you, officer.” She turned to find Louis frozen halfway out of his seat.  
“Harry?” he whispered, fearing the worst.  
“Is fine,” she was quick to assure him. She saw in the chair next to him as he sank back down. “Remember they found his car outside your building on CCTV?” Louis nodded. “The police spotted it on the way to Cheshire. They stopped him and he surrendered almost immediately. Harry was with him. He says he's fine, but he's being transported to hospital as a precaution.”  
Louis' head dropped to the table with a thud. “Oh my God. Oh, thank God. He's okay.”  
“Yes, Louis. He's okay. They have Rick and they'll find the other man and everything will go back to the way it was.”  
“Yeah. Yeah,” he agreed though he wasn't at all sure that it could. “What hospital? I need to see him.”  
“I'm sorry, dear, they didn't say. I'm sure it won't be long. Do you want to go back to the flat to wait?”  
“No. He'll come here.” Louis was positive. “He knew Caro was coming, so he'll think she brought the twins here when she couldn't find him.”  
“Okay, dear. Drink your tea. You're too pale.”  
Louis automatically sipped at the tea, staring at the door and waiting for Harry to arrive.

The only reason Harry sat through the unnecessary exam without protest was because the officer who'd driven him to hospital told him Louis was safe. Now, as he waited for the last of the tests to come back before they'd let him leave, he told the officer everything that had happened after Rick showed up at the flat.  
After he'd passed out, he woke in the same position, being driven through the countryside. He'd asked where they were going and received only “Home” as an answer.   
And then at least five police cars had surrounded them, demanding that Rick pull over. Harry worried the man would use his gun, but Rick just got a strange look on his face and surrendered. Just like that. No fight at all. Harry didn't want to know what the look meant.  
Finally, the doctors pronounced him healthy and Harry hurried outside. He started for the flat but quickly turned and ran in the other direction. The officer had said an elderly woman was in the flat when Louis showed up.  
No way would Caro let Louis stay there and wait by himself. And she'd want help taking care of the babies, so that meant they were all at the bakery.  
He was sure of it.  
He caught Louis' eye through the bakery window and they met halfway between the table and the door, wrapping arms tightly around each other.  
“I was worried about you,” they said together.  
“Me, too.” Again, together, and they laughed.  
There was a pause before both tried speaking again. “They told me you were okay.”  
This time, five laughs rang out and Harry looked over Louis shoulder at the three women who were his family. “Hi.”  
“Hello, Harry, dear. Are you alright?” Barbara asked, though the smile on his face reassured her.  
“Just went for a car ride, really.” He looked down at Louis and cupped his cheek tenderly. “You had it worse, they said.” Louis shrugged, not wanting to think about it. Harry narrowed his eyes but didn't push. “Have they found him, yet?”  
“No. But it shouldn't take long. That's what they told me, at least.”  
Aurora squealed on the table just then and Harry gasped, rushing over. “My babies! Oh, my angels. I'm so sorry I left you all alone. I'm so, so sorry, my loves. Daddy won't ever do that again. Not ever, ever, ever!” He lifted first Aurora, then Gabriel to cover them in kisses.  
Caro laughed. “According to the CCTV at your flat, I arrived about five minutes after...” she trailed off. “So they weren't alone long at all. There's no need to be worried, dear.”  
Cuddling Gabriel, he turned to her. “Thank you. Thank you so much for taking care of them.” His eyes darted to Louis to show he meant him as well as the babies.  
Caro waved it away. “Of course, dear. I couldn't do anything else.”  
“Now,” Barbara clapped her hands. “It's been a long day. You boys are probably exhausted. Go back to your flat, get some food, and me and the girls will drop the twins back in the morning.”  
Harry looked up from where he was struggling to get Gabriel's wiggling body through the correct straps so he could buckle him in securely. “What?”  
“We'll look after Gabriel and Aurora while you two get some sleep,” she said firmly. “Better yet, Louis, you take him to your mum's tonight. Come back tomorrow. You could do with some cozening.”  
Louis turned to see that Harry was just as shocked as he was. “But. We can't just leave.”  
“I say you can. I want a night to spoil my great-grand-babies. So, shoo.”  
Harry and Louis were pushed out the door and turned back in time to see Barbara lock the door and flip the sign to “Closed.”  
“Can they do that?” Louis asked in wonder.  
Harry matched his tone exactly. “I think they just did.” He blinked. “So, do we go to the flat or the train station?”  
“My mum's probably wondering where I am. I don't know what Rick did with my phone, so she could have called a hundred times.”  
“Train station it is.” Harry was worried; Louis hadn't said the other man's name once. The man who'd been as obsessed with Louis as Rick was with Harry. “Who was it, Louis?” he asked suddenly. “The other man?” The police had never told him a name, either.  
Louis hesitated. “Nick. From the club.”  
“Fuck.”  
“Yeah.” Louis scuffed his toes against the pavement. “He tried...I was tied up. He tried to...” but Louis couldn't say it and Harry understood.  
“You're not going to go back to that place. Not until they find him,” Harry said. “He might...”  
“No,” Louis agreed stridently. “Not going back. Ever. I can't.”  
“Okay.” Harry squeezed Louis to his side as they walked. “It's not like we need the money anymore. But I know how much you like performing on stage.” Harry tried not to make it into a big deal, though he knew Louis was more effected than he let on.  
Louis just shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, you know the drill.  
> Mistakes are blamed on me.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, Harry couldn't stop beaming. Every once in a while, he would shoot a glare at Louis, but his smile never dimmed.  
He was clutched an enormous diaper bag to his chest, running his fingers over the sea blue fabric and tracing the designs of anchors and compasses and old-fashioned ships. It was his fabric. Even the ribbon he'd found was there, trimming the outside pockets with dark blue anchors.  
He couldn't believe Louis had done this, and back when they were only friends, too. Though he was still a little miffed Louis had kept it a secret so long. Hence, the glares.  
“I'm sorry, curly,” Louis sighed yet again as he watched London approaching quickly. “I wanted it to be a surprise. And I wasn't sure what she could do with it.”  
“She can do anything with fabric,” Harry laughed. “I firmly believe she could make a person if she wanted to.”  
Louis smirked; apparently, Harry was in love with his mum. Particularly after seeing the diaper bag and the two personalized baby blankets she'd made with the nautical fabric and scraps she'd had in her sewing room. Not to mention the two carriers Harry had already known about.  
“Yeah, she was top notch. And she was really into the secrecy, too. Wouldn't even tell me what she was making.”  
Harry tried to glare again but giggled instead at the disgruntled tone in Louis' voice.  
They went straight to the bakery when they arrived because Harry wanted to show off his new bag.  
Dee was playing with the twins when they walked in. She looked up and smiled. “I must say you boys look better than you did yesterday.”  
“They found Nick,” Louis said simply in explanation. Now both men were out of their lives.  
“That's great, Louis. You won't have to worry any more.”  
Because he knew Louis still felt awkward talking about the previous day, Harry looked at his babies and squealed, “There's my cuddle-bugs!”  
Louis snorted. “Cuddle-bugs?”  
Harry glared at him, lifting Aurora to his chest. “Be quiet, Boo Bear.”  
When even Dee giggled, Louis glared back. He could kill his mother for letting his old nickname “slip” in front of Harry.  
The phone rang and Barbara came out of the kitchen, wiping flour off her hands to answer it. “Hello? Yes, this is Baker's Dozen. Yes, this is the bakery where Harry Styles works.” She looked over and shrugged when Harry raised an eyebrow in question. “Can I ask who's calling? One moment, please, I'll see if he's available.” She put the phone on hold. “A Liam Payne is asking for you, Harry.”  
“Oh,” Harry immediately relaxed. “He's a friend. I'll take it.” Still holding Aurora, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey, Liam. Sorry about that. What's up? Oh, sorry again, both our phones are lost. We'll tell you about it later. Really? Hold on.” He put the phone to his shoulder and looked at Louis. “The big-shots want to talk to us as soon as possible. Are we available today?”  
“If we can find babysitters,” Louis said, slyly looking at Barbara, who laughed.  
“You don't even need to ask.”  
Harry turned back to the phone. “We can be there today, sure. What time? Okay. See you then, Liam. Bye. Four o'clock in the lobby of Banks' building,” he told Louis. “Someone'll escort us up apparently.”  
“Ohhh, fancy,” Dee teased. Louis and Harry simultaneously stuck out their tongues.   
They all laughed when, though they knew it wasn't intentional, Aurora seemed to do the same in Harry's arms.

Zayn's knee was bouncing wildly as he sat in one of the comfortable chairs in the lobby when Louis and Harry walked in. Liam was calmly sitting next to him, biting back a smile before reaching over to place a hand on the jumping leg to calm it down. Louis was shocked since he'd never seen his friend this nervous except when one of his paintings was being critiqued.   
“Is there something going on we should know about?” he asked Liam.  
“We don't know. Banks just called this morning and said they needed to meet with all of us as soon as possible.”  
“Why weren't you answering your phones?” Zayn demanded quietly.  
Louis didn't want to get into it right then. “Tell you later. It's a long story. Do we just wait here, then?”  
Even as he said it, a young woman walked up to the group. “Mr. Styles? Mr. Tomlinson?”  
“Yes, that's us.” Harry squeezed Louis' hand.  
“Follow me, please,” she said pleasantly.  
The four young men were silent as they were led into a private elevator. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from asking questions that the woman probably didn't know the answer to. Finally, they were escorted down a plush hallway and into a large conference room where Banks was seated amongst many other men and women.  
Harry immediately moved to shake hands with everyone and the others followed suit before they were invited to sit at the opposite end of the table.  
Louis looked over at Banks since they'd come to trust the man to be honest with them. But he wouldn't meet Louis' eyes.   
Uh oh.  
“Let's get started, shall we?” the man at the head of the table said. “Would you boys care to explain about yesterday?”  
“Sir?” Louis wasn't sure he'd heard that right.  
“The events of yesterday. Please explain them.”  
“We're not sure what you mean, sir,” Liam tried to say, but stopped then the man slid a newspaper down the table toward them.  
Louis felt his heart stop when he saw the picture on top. It was him. As he'd come out of Nick's building. Hands bound and clothes all twisted.  
“Is that you, Mr. Tomlinson?”   
Louis nodded silently. He was reading the printed words but couldn't seem to make sense of them. Something about him wildly running through traffic.  
“How do you explain this?”  
Harry grabbed the hands fisted on Louis' lap and glared at the man being so hostile. “I don't see how this is any of your concern,” he snapped.  
“It's our concern when we are about to debut Mr. Tomlinson as a serious new singer/songwriter and, just days before, he appears in the papers in a highly controversial state. This is not good for our image.”  
“Your image?” Harry couldn't believe it. “Controversial? He was kidnapped! I'm sorry if that's bad for your image,” Harry spat.  
Banks suddenly leaned forward, politely asking for permission to speak. He looked at Harry in confusion. “Kidnapped?”  
“Yes, kidnapped.”  
“The papers don't mention anything about a kidnapping. They're claiming it was a sex game gone wrong.”  
Louis groaned and swiveled the chair around so no one would see him bury his face in his hands, bent over double. Zayn moved to kneel in front of him, silently offering support even though he had no idea what was going on.  
Seeing that Zayn had it handled, Harry looked back at Banks, ignoring the other people. “Don't believe everything you read,” he sneered. “Two men conspired to kidnap me and Louis yesterday morning. They'd been following me for months but we didn't know who they were until this happened. That picture is from when Louis managed to escape the flat where they'd taken him and tied him up. The only 'sex game gone wrong' was the man holding Louis trying to rape him!”  
“You were taken as well?”  
“Yes. They grabbed Louis off the street and used a gun and threatened my children to get me out of our flat.”  
“This is a true story?” the head man demanded.  
Harry glared at him. “Ask the police.”  
The man turned to the young woman who'd brought Harry and the others up. “Claire, please take Mr. Styles and the others to the small conference room. Get them anything they need.” He looked at Harry. “We need to discuss this.”  
Harry was silent as he wrapped an arm around Louis to lift him out of the chair and lead him from the room.  
Banks followed them to just outside the door. “Please know that we didn't know the truth. The article and picture blindsided us and my bosses don't like when that happens.”  
“Yeah, well, we weren't exactly expecting it either. Imagine who has the right to be more surprised and upset.” Harry turned his back and followed Claire into another room. The chairs weren't quite as plush, but Harry gently helped Louis sit and then knelt in front of him. “We don't need anything,” he said shortly, not looking at the woman.  
“Of course. I'll be just outside if you think of anything.”  
Lifting Louis' head up with a gentle hand under his chin, Harry wasn't surprised to see tears threatening. “It's going to be okay, Lou.”  
“How? Everyone thinks I'm some wild sex maniac.”  
“No, they don't. They just don't know the truth. We'll set them straight.”  
“Why would the paper print something like that? How could they think that?”  
“I don't know, love. I really don't know.”  
Zayn stepped up from where he and Liam had been watching silently. “Harry, what happened?”  
Harry looked at Louis to make sure it was okay to tell. Louis nodded reluctantly. “It was the guy who got me pregnant and Nick, the bartender from the club Louis' worked. They were both obsessed with us. Remember I told you how I thought I was being followed ever since I met Louis?” Zayn nodded, sitting heavily in a chair; Liam moved to stand behind him, hands gripping his shoulders as they both listened. “I was right. It was them. They waited until after the babies were born because Rick didn't want them, only me. And Nick wanted Louis. They worked together to grab us like I told those bastards in the other room. Louis managed to escape and that's when that damn photo was taken.”  
“Did you escape, too?”  
Harry shook his head. “He had a gun. He was driving me away to somewhere out of the city when police spotted his car. Louis took the police back to our flat and they found the car on the CCTV, so they knew what to look for. Louis' the reason I'm not still with that man.”  
“Shit, mate. This is what you were going to tell us later? The reason you didn't answer your phones?”  
“Yeah. And we went to Doncaster to Louis' mum's last night because Nick hadn't been caught, yet, and I didn't want Louis anywhere near.”  
Louis was furiously swiping the tears from his face. “They caught him this morning. He's probably the one who gave the papers that horrible story.”  
“Is what Harry said true, Lou?” Zayn asked gently. “Did he...?”  
Louis couldn't look at him. Zayn had warned him that first night to be careful around Nick. “He didn't get far. Just a kiss. But I know he wanted...” He had to stop. His eyes darted to Harry. “And Rick knocked me around a bit because I was in the way of him getting Harry.” He lifted his shirt to show the bruising on his ribs from the kick he'd received. He didn't honestly know how he'd hidden it from Harry until then.  
Banks came into the room without knocking and stopped short, seeing the bruise before Louis could push his shirt back down. “I'm so sorry. Can you come back or do you still need a few minutes?” he asked, seeing Louis' tears.  
Louis used a napkin to wipe his tears and blew his nose to stop the sniffling. “Ready, I guess.”  
Banks tried to smile reassuringly as he led them back to the large room. Harry moved the chairs so he could sit with his arm around Louis. Liam and Zayn sat to either side like bodyguards.  
“I want to apologize,” the man at the head said immediately, though it sounded forced. “We should have asked for your side of the story before believing the press; we should know how stories are twisted.” He paused as a few of the others chuckled; they'd done their own twisting on several occasions. “We checked with a source in the police and they confirmed that it did, in fact, happen the way you related to us, Mr. Styles. You understand, we had to confirm it.” Harry gave a reluctant nod. “As such, we've come to a decision.”  
All four young men sat up straighter to hear. “We will set the story straight in the media. If you wish, Mr. Tomlinson, we can help you bring litigation against the paper for defamation of character.” He raised a hand to stop Louis when he started to speak. “However, it is our opinion that to do so would only bring more attention to this matter. It was not a headline story, so the less we act like it's important, the less important it will seem. A second article, again without being a headline, should suffice to restore your image in the public's eye. This should all just blow over in a few weeks' time, if that long, even.” He sat back in his chair. “We'll delay your debut until that time.”  
“No. I don't want to sue. I just want to forget about all of this,” Louis said earnestly.  
“We can help there,” Banks said with a smile. “We can have you in the studio writing and recording until you don't have time to think of anything else.” Louis returned the smile weakly and Harry looked at Banks gratefully.  
Zayn leaned forward, a hand raised slightly. “So, to confirm, you still want to sign Louis?”  
“Yes,” the head man said firmly. “We think you'll do good things for this label, Mr. Tomlinson. And you, Mr. Styles, when you're ready to commit more time to your career.”  
They wanted to discuss the contracts then and there but Harry refused, wanting to get Louis away from all the eyes that had, only minutes before, judged him cruelly. They could talk in a few days once things had settled down.  
Banks personally walked them out of the building, once more apologizing to the entire group and Louis in particular.  
Using Zayn's mobile, Harry called the bakery to make sure it would be okay to leave the twins there a while longer. Of course, Barbara said it was fine and, when she asked why, Harry only told her their meeting was going to last longer than expected.  
As soon as the flat door closed behind them, Harry wrapped his arms around Louis and held him as the older boy finally let out his sobs. When Louis started to sag, Harry easily lifted him and sat on the couch, pulling a blanket up around his shoulders.  
“I feel like such a baby,” Louis laughed weakly a while later, his cheek resting against Harry's chest. “It's just a stupid picture.”  
Harry made sure Louis was tucked firmly in his lap before he said, “It's not just the picture, Lou, and you know it. It's all of it; the picture, the story, the judgment...” he paused a moment before, “and it's what Nick did.”  
Louis tensed and pulled away a little. “He didn't do anything.”  
“Don't be an idiot, Louis. He kidnapped you. He tied you up. He was going to rape you if you didn't get away.” He made Louis look up at him. “Do you deny any of that?”  
“No.” Louis' voice was tiny and Harry almost didn't hear it.  
“And then, once you were free, you pushed all of that aside 'cause you were worried about me, didn't you?”  
“Maybe. Yeah.”  
“And, because you bottled it up and because of that stupid picture, it's hitting you even harder, now. Added to the horrible way the big-shots handled this, I think you're entitled to a bit of a breakdown,” Harry said reasonably.  
Louis sighed. “How come you're not freaking out? Rick grabbed you, too.”  
“Yeah,” Harry said. “But I didn't have someone grabbing me off the street, hitting me and bragging about his entire plan while I couldn't do anything. I didn't have a coworker be the one behind it all; just a man that I only vaguely recognized from months ago and didn't even know the name of. I didn't have to figure out a way to escape a rapist all on my own. I didn't have to explain everything to the police and get them to believe me because I know they didn't believe you at first; the story's so strange I wouldn't believe it if I didn't live it. I didn't have to wait hours to hear if the man I love was going to be okay and returned to me; the police told me you were fine before I even had a chance to ask.” He squeezed Louis and tried not to feel guilty. “For me, it lasted a couple hours of driving. How long were you there, Louis? Eight, nine hours? Half a day before I got to the bakery?”  
Louis was silent for a while as he thought about Harry's words. How could Harry made it sound okay for Louis to react like this? How could Harry look at everything that happened and not freak out? “How are you so calm?” he asked.  
Harry chuckled. “Because, unlike you, I didn't try to be a macho man and tough it all out by myself. I couldn't sleep last night and talked with your mum. She pointed out everything I just said to you. Told me, nicely, I was stupid for not realizing how much worse you had it.”  
“You're not stupid,” Louis said. “I didn't let you make a big deal of it.”   
Louis pushed away and looked at Harry in curiosity. “What about today? You yelled at the men about to make us rich.”  
Harry snorted. “You should have heard what was really going through my head.” Louis waved for him to go on. “There were quite a few 'fuck you's. A couple 'how dare you treat Louis like this?'s. Quite a nice rant about how, if they were going to let this affect their decision about signing us without knowing the real story, we'd go to their main competition, who would absolutely love to have us, of course, and shove our success in their faces at every turn; we'd make sure everyone knew they didn't stand behind their artists and they'd probably go bankrupt because everyone would listen to us since we'd be topping the charts.”  
Louis had to cover his mouth to muffle the giggles. “You really thought all of that?”  
“And would have said it, too, if there'd been the need. Luckily, there wasn't.” Harry pulled Louis back, glad that he'd gotten a laugh out of him. A stomach rumbled and he couldn't tell whose it was. “Hungry?”  
“A bit.”  
“I'll order in. That little Thai restaurant on the corner gets its produce fresh on Sundays so everything should be good.”  
Louis gave his best puppy-dog eyes. “Can we have grease, tonight? The twins aren't even here for the smell to corrupt them.” He was a little tired of Harry's insistence on healthy eating to set a good example for the children; they were guzzling formula by the bottle-full, why would they care what their dads ate? But Harry did all of the shopping, so Louis didn't really have a choice.  
Harry considered. “Veggie-lovers pizza.”  
“Half veggie-lover, half meat-lover,” Louis compromised.  
“Deal.”  
Twenty minutes later, when there was a knock on the door, Harry went to pay for the pizza. And froze with his hand inches from the knob. The last time someone had knocked like that, it was Rick with a gun. Though he knew it couldn't possibly be him ever again, Harry checked through the peep to make sure before opening the door.  
Louis looked over soberly as Harry set the pizza on the coffee table in front of them with a pile of napkins and restarted their movie. He'd seen the instant of fear on Harry's face. “I was thinking,” he said, casually taking a slice of hot, meat-loaded grease. “Once I've debuted, I won't really have time to work at the store anymore. I'll need to focus on writing for the both of us. Would you mind me being home all the time?”  
“Of course not,” Harry laughed, using a napkin to dab off excess oil so he'd actually be able to taste his veggies.  
Louis swallowed. “Then that means this place might be a bit too small. We'll need a studio, soundproofed to make sure the music doesn't disturb the kids or neighbors. And it would be nice to be able to let the twins have their own rooms when they're older.”  
Harry set down his pizza. “What are you saying?”  
“I think we should get a house. Still in the city, of course, but an actual house.”  
“Can we afford it?” Harry had no allusions that they would be rich instantly, even once they were both fully signed. It would take a while to hit, if they even did.  
“I think so. Royalties are coming in from the songs I've written and the label's been generous so far. We can at least look. And start out renting. We don't need anything fancy, of course. Just private.” Honestly, the idea had only just popped into Louis' head minutes before but, the more he thought about it, laid out the reasoning, the more he was convinced they should.  
Harry started bouncing on the cushion, grinning. He really liked the idea now that the initial surprise was over. “I think that's a great idea! Can we start looking after your shift tomorrow?”  
Louis couldn't help laughing at his excitement. “Sure. You look up a few real estate sites tomorrow and we'll look at anything you think might be good.”  
Squirming, Harry started making a mental list of all the things he'd look for in their new home as Louis turned back to the movie and pizza. When the list got too long and he wasn't sure if he'd already added no carpets – since it would be easier, and quieter, to clean tile or wood – and a tub instead of a shower, he got up to get a pad of paper and pencil to make a real list. Louis just shook his head in amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are mine.


	14. Chapter 14

With Harry pushing the double stroller Barbara and the other ladies had gifted them, humming cheerfully to himself, the little family walked down a quiet, tree-lined side street. The nautical diaper bag was slung over Louis' shoulder, stuffed full of everything Harry thought might possibly be needed on the twins' first outing that wasn't being taken to the bakery and back. Louis had to keep subtly adjusting the strap as, even with the padding his mum had sewn in, it dug into his skin.  
“What was the address again?” he asked, trying to peer through the mature trees to see the houses.   
“I think it's this next one. Yeah, see the sign?” Harry pointed at the almost overgrown “For Sale or Rent” sign hanging on the gate.   
Louis frowned at the ivy that had nearly sealed the gate shut. He had to shove hard to get it to swing open with a loud squeak. “How long has it been empty?” he wondered, helping Harry lift the stroller's wheels over the lip. Ahead, the pavement at least looked smooth, so they wouldn't have to carry the twins up the short drive.  
“I think the site said a little while. Didn't give a reason, though, just said that there were no structural problems or anything.”  
“Huh.” Louis had to wonder what sites Harry had been using the last few weeks for their house search. So far, they'd seen some really, really bad places that Louis refused to even let Harry enter for fear of a wrong step bringing the roof down. And they'd seen some fancy, practically gold-plated homes that Louis knew they'd never be able to afford unless they became superstars. And everything in between.  
Looking up at the white two-story before them, he had to admit at least this one seemed reasonable. The small porch wasn't sagging and had all of its stairs still there. There were no broken or boarded up windows or gaping holes in the siding. The front door was faded and peeling, but it hung straight and didn't give when Louis knocked.  
Their real estate agent, Karen, opened the door immediately with a smile. “Oh, good. You found it. I thought I heard that old gate give. Just a little oil on the hinges and it'll be good as new, don't you worry.”  
“Actually, I think I'd like having the warning,” Harry laughed, moving the stroller into the entrance way. He knelt to unbuckle Aurora and passed her to Louis before moving to Gabriel with a little tickle. “And it wasn't even really that bad. I like this location. There's a 24-hour just on the corner with a chemist in case we have to pick up medicine or milk in the middle of the night. And it's quiet. Private.”  
Tucking Aurora into his elbow, Louis gazed around. He didn't know if the sellers had paid someone to come in and prepare it, or what, but he wasn't disliking what he saw. With Harry so eager and willing to take almost anything, Louis had to be the cautious one.  
Understanding, Karen silently handed him the paper listing the house's details. “As you can see, it's two stories. Not including an unfinished basement I think would be perfect to set up as a studio. Harry, you said you liked being on the same floor as the twins, so you'll be happy to know the master suite and two smaller rooms are on the first floor, well away from the basement, so noise would be minimal. Here on the ground floor, you have the kitchen and attached breakfast nook...” She led the way down the hall, letting them see the decent sized galley kitchen with a little folding table attached to the far wall under a window and a cut out over one counter looking into another room. “And you'll be able to keep an eye on the kids, or not feel left out of a party, since you can see right into the large living area which is straight ahead. Across the hall from the kitchen is a small spare room and a half-bath for guests.” Karen opened the door for them to peer inside an empty room.  
Leading them upstairs, she took them first to the master suite, showing them the built-in closets and small connected bath with a glass-enclosed standing shower. Before Harry could open his mouth, she smiled and held up a hand. “Don't worry, I know you made a tub one of your big must-haves. Follow me.” She pointed the way into a room across the hall and then at one of the two door inside. “Look inside.”  
Harry shifted Gabriel slightly to open the door and then looked back at Karen, grinning. He'd found a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with a large tub to one side and a double sink to the other. Opening the opposite door, he found a room identical to the one they'd passed through. And there was a door leading to the hallway as well so guests wouldn't have to go through a child's room to use the loo.  
“Why don't you wander and take a closer look at things,” Karen suggested. “I'm afraid there's not much of a yard to show you, other than what you saw on the way in.”  
“Is there laundry?” Harry asked.  
“Of course. I forgot to tell you. It's in the basement.”  
“Okay.” Talking quietly to Gabriel, Harry left the bathroom and strolled down the hall toward the stairs.  
Louis looked at Karen, bouncing Aurora absently. “Why has it been empty so long?” he asked. It was honestly perfect for them and that made him nervous because surely there was something wrong with it.  
“I wondered that myself, actually, so I talked to my colleague who's handling it. Apparently, the sellers have been reluctant to finish any contracts, backing out a few times.” She could see the question in Louis' eyes. “From what my colleague says, there's a lot of sentiment in this house. Three generations growing up here and, when the elderly grandmother passed, they were forced to move. It appears they're looking for just the right buyers.”  
Louis' head came up. “Buyers? I thought we could rent.”  
“Renting is an option they might consider. But, when Harry contacted my office, he mentioned wanting something long-term, so buying would be more cost efficient. Should I push more firmly for renting if you decide to go ahead?”  
“Uh, I think I need to do a little more research.” Since he knew Harry had already fallen in love, and he had as well, honestly, he sighed. “Are there any others looking at this house, right now? Can we have a few days to discuss?”  
“Of course,” she assured him. “I'll give a little heads-up to the owners that you might have an offer and find out if there's another on the table. Don't take too long, though, I should warn you.”  
“Thank you.” Leaving her, Louis headed downstairs to where Harry was dancing a little around the large living area.  
Harry beamed when he saw Louis. “It's perfect,” he squealed, laughing when Aurora echoed the noise.  
“I know. But don't get your hopes up too high, love.” Louis passed on the information Karen had given him about the current owners.  
“Well, we'll just have to convince them we're perfect, then,” Harry said, not worrying. He could feel it; this was their new home. “Did you want to see the basement?”  
“Sure,” Louis grinned.  
Harry opened a door just inside the front entrance and took two steps down to a small landing. “We can put wet shoes and things here so they don't clog up the hallway, see?” Going down the rest of the way, he spun in a full circle. “Isn't it great?”  
Louis saw bare beams and loose insulation. “I don't think the twins should be down here, Harry,” he cautioned.  
“Oh.” Harry's face fell when he realized Louis wasn't seeing what he was seeing. Not yet, anyway. Going back upstairs, he buckled the twins back into their stroller and asked if Karen would mind watching them for a moment.  
Taking Louis' hand, he tried to make him see. “Don't look at the mess, love. Look at what we can do with it.”  
“Okay,” Louis was willing to go along. “What can we do with it?”  
“We won't have to tear down the walls to get soundproofing in, first of all,” Harry started, waving at the empty frames. “And, once the walls are up, it'll be easy to make it into a studio for both of us. See? Your equipment and computer over there in that L-shaped nook over there, maybe with a door so you can write while I sing without messing you up. And, with this door right next to the front door, if we need to bring Matt or anyone else over to help, they'll be able to come right down without walking through the house. It's perfect, Lou. It's absolutely perfect.”  
Louis sighed and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist from behind. He could see it. “It is perfect,” he admitted, unable to help himself. But his practical side was still pressing. “I just don't know, curly. They're going to want us to buy and I don't know if we'll be able to afford it.”  
Harry bit his lip. “Even with your debut next week?”  
“We'll have to see how it goes. They've always said it's a gamble whether or not the market's ready. My songs are doing well, but that's different.”  
“I've almost got enough recorded for my own album,” Harry said slowly. “What if we ask about coming out together? It'll get the initial attention they're looking for, won't it?”  
“Two gay singers in love and living together with two infants,” Louis said dryly.  
Harry laughed. “When you say it like that, how could they resist? I'm wondering why Banks never mentioned the possibility.”  
“Because of the twins, Harry. Are you sure you want to do this, so soon? I thought you were going to wait until they were older and you had a bit more time.”  
“I don't know about you, but I've noticed that babies tend to sleep a lot. A little more time in the studio won't overwhelm me, I know it. And I'll take a break if I need to.”  
Louis moved until they were chest to chest, still with their arms entangled, and gazed up at Harry. “Do you really want me to bring it up at the meeting tomorrow? I will if you're serious.”  
“I'm serious, Louis. I want to.”  
“Then okay.”  
“Does this mean we can get the house?” Harry asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up.  
Louis laughed. “It means I'll do some number crunching tonight to see if we can get the house.”  
Harry cheered and raced up the stairs, tripping on the top step and catching himself on the door. He smiled down at Louis sheepishly. “Oops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, all that stuff.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, Louis sent Banks and his bosses into a scramble when he told them Harry's idea. He'd warned Zayn about it beforehand, so the two friends just sat back and watched as marketing reps, lawyers, analysts, and people who did Louis didn't know what were brought in to discuss and debate.   
After awhile, Louis leaned over to Zayn. “I can't even tell if they think it's a good idea,” he admitted quietly.  
Having brushed up on his legalese and music industry buzz words, Zayn whispered back. “I think the fact that there's this much talk means it's good.” He pointed to the group of analysts. “They're trying to figure out the best way to debut you. If you should appear separately and then link you and Harry later, or if you both come out at the same time and announce immediately that you're partners, or any variations of that.” Next, the lawyers. “I think they're talking about the contracts. If they should sign you and Harry as separate artists since you'll be songwriter for both of you.” And the marketing people. “They're having a field day from what I can tell. Though, you might want to decide quickly if you want the twins shielded from the public; they're talking about public appearances and getting you both to endorse all kinds of baby and kid things. I like that they want to have you do a kids album together, lullabies and kids songs.” He looked at Louis and grinned. “Of course, they're gonna have to pass this all by us anyway before anything's settled.”  
Louis grinned back and excused himself. He wanted to know what Harry thought about the twins being used for publicity. He thought he knew the answer, but needed to check. Ten minutes later, he was back. “Harry says our kids are out of the picture until they're at least a year old. He doesn't want them splashed all over the tabloids. And he, we both, want to make sure that we're not going to be stuck doing things aimed at kids. We need adult audiences. Most of my songs are for adults.”  
“I'll take care of it.” Immediately, Zayn moved to talk quietly with Banks, who nodded and moved around the room to the different groups to pass along the message.   
Louis got a few dirty looks as they had to change their plans, but he didn't care. This was going to happen in a way both he and Harry were comfortable with. He'd make sure of it.  
When Louis got home a few hours later, pleased with how the negotiations were going, he sighed and rolled his eyes. He'd asked what Harry was doing when he'd called earlier and, having received a vague “just puttering” in response, he should have known to be suspicious.  
“Puttering” was apparently code for packing up their entire kitchen.   
“Harry,” he said, exasperated. “We only put the offer in today. It could be weeks, or even months before we move, if they even accept!” He'd spent a few hours the night before arranging and rearranging their budget to be able to afford the mortgage after they got the loan from the bank. And he shuddered at how tight it would be.  
“Just getting prepared,” Harry defended.   
With a shake of his head, Louis couldn't help smiling a little. “Did you at least leave plates and silverware out so we can eat?”  
“Of course. Just packed up the big things and what I don't use a lot.”  
“Okay.” Louis looked at the pile of boxes. “Don't even think about packing up the bedroom until the deal's closed, though.”  
Harry huffed. “Fine. How did the meeting go after you called?”  
“Fine,” Louis echoed playfully. “Though they're not too happy about having to wait a year before we allow the twins in the spotlight. Since it means no tours until then. And apparently there's going to be a lot of pressure to see them.”  
Harry choked on his own spit. “Tours?” he coughed. “They were talking tours?”  
“Only mentioned a tiny bit while they were complaining,” Louis assured him. He'd had a bit of the same reaction to the word. “We still have to find out how we're received before they start talking about that.”  
“So, we're debuting together?”  
“That's what they think is best. Want to get it all out there at the beginning to make the biggest splash. We're not going to be a duet, still separate solo artists, but they'll make it known that we're partners. And I'll keep writing for other artists, too.”  
“Wow. Just...wow.” Harry sat heavily on the couch. “I mean...wow. It's happening.”  
Louis sat next to him. “It's happening. You ready?”  
“Not really. How are we announcing ourselves?”  
“They just finished figuring that out today. There's this BBC1 event this weekend. They want us to sing. It'll be a good way to get us known to the music industry, apparently. I'll do a few songs, then you, and then we'll do the lullaby together to finish.”  
“This weekend?” Harry's jaw dropped. “As in three days from now?”  
Louis glanced at his watch. “Actually, a little less than three days, now. Seventy hours.”  
Harry sprung to his feet and paced. “Oh shit. Three days. What are we going to do? We have to prepare. You have to finish that new song because it's great, you have to sing it. What are we going to wear? What'll we do with the twins? We can't take them with us.”  
Louis sat back and watched Harry panic. If it got too much worse, he'd step in, but he knew Harry needed to get it all out before he'd relax and start to look forward to the weekend.   
The baby monitor squawked and Louis realized it was time for the last bottle of the evening. Grabbing the two bottles from where Harry had them gently heating on the stove, he carried them into the nursery and fed his babies.

“I can't do it,” Harry announced. He was peeking out the curtain at the crowded tables sitting before the stage. Everyone dressed to the nines and waiting to be wowed by the new act. He easily picked out Zayn and Liam by the bar, chatting with Banks and other men Harry didn't recognize. “I can't do this.”  
Louis came up behind him and rubbed a hand comfortingly over his back. He knew what was going through Harry's mind. It had been years since Harry'd performed in front of actual people, not in the studio. And even when he had been on stage, he'd been pushed to the background, not front and center and all by himself.   
“It's going to be fine, curly. You're going to be great.”  
“I'm going to be sick. I'm going to vomit all over the front tables. I know it.”  
Louis swallowed a laugh at the picture that popped into his head. “Do you want to go first? Get it over with?”  
Harry turned and cuddled into Louis, shaking his head. “Listening to you calms me down. And, if I mess up my first song, you'll come back on and do the lullaby yourself. You will, won't you?”  
“I'm not going to have to come back on and do the lullaby, Harry,” Louis assured him. “You're not going to mess up. Just close your eyes, pretend you're in the studio or the nursery, and belt it out. You have nothing to worry about. It'll be over before you know it and then we'll sing our lullaby together, just like always.”  
“I still feel sick,” Harry moaned.  
“Deep breaths,” Louis said gently as he saw the signal that he should go on. Pressing a hard kiss to Harry's mouth, he said, “Take deep breaths, listen to my voice, and relax,” before slipping through the curtain to a welcoming round of applause.  
Harry didn't know where the time went, but before he knew it, Louis was back at his side, applause much louder than before.  
“Okay, your turn, curly. You'll be great.”  
Harry froze just at where the curtains parted and Louis rolled his eyes, giving his boyfriend a little shove to get him moving.  
Harry stumbled into the spotlight, earning a few chuckles. Moving to the microphone, he cleared his throat and worked up a grin. “Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen. I'm a bit nervous. Louis likes to give me a little push in the right direction.” That brought more laughter and Harry relaxed, hearing the music start up.  
As the last music died away and Harry opened his eyes, he grinned, hearing the applause and seeing people actually on their feet. Cheers erupted – mostly from Liam and Zayn – when Louis walked back out onto stage with a wave.   
Louis took Harry's hand and give him a little peck on the cheek. “You were wonderful,” he whispered quickly in Harry's ear. “Let's finish this.”  
Harry wasn't sure how his legs supported him back behind the curtain after the lullaby, but he managed not to make a fool of himself by collapsing in front of all those people on the other side. It was close, but Louis got him to a chair before the muscles turned completely liquid. “Is it over?” he asked.  
“Well, tonight's performance is, yes.” Louis crouched down in front of him. “How are you feeling? Really?”  
Harry took a moment. “I think I'm okay. Is it always like this? Like a sugar rush?”  
Louis laughed. “Yeah. Though I always thought of it like getting high. You get used to it a little after a while, but it never really goes away. Not for me, at least.”  
Zayn appeared then and bent down next to Louis. “That was amazing, guys,” he said. Nudging Harry playfully, he grinned. “Who knew you were such a charmer up there on stage, huh?” He noticed that Harry was only grinning weakly in response to the teasing. “Everything okay?”  
“Yeah, Harry's just recovering,” Louis assured him. “Give us a few minutes?”  
“Sure. Banks wants you to meet some radio DJs and start the whole networking deal. I'll let him know you'll be out. And there's food out there, too, so get Harry to eat something. He looks like he's about to pass out.”  
Thinking that was a good idea, Louis made sure Harry would stay conscious for a few more minutes before sneakily going out into the ballroom and quickly grabbing a plate of appetizers to take backstage. He'd have to remember to have things ready if Harry always reacted like this after a performance.  
Five minutes later, Harry's color was much improved as they moved through the crowd, Louis arm tucked comfortably around his waist as he guided Harry toward the table where Banks was waving at them.  
“Here they are,” Banks cried. He passed over two flutes of champagne. “How are you boys feeling after that performance?”  
Louis decided to speak for them both since Harry was probably still feeling uncertain. “We feel great, thanks.” There were others listening, so Louis had to say it. “It's amazing being on stage again.”  
“You've performed before?” one of the strange men asked. “Greg Tales, 'Morning Hits',” he introduced himself, shaking hands with the two young men.   
“Yes. During school, both Harry and I were in bands,” Louis said vaguely. “And I was working at a club here in London before I signed with Banks, here.”  
“Fascinating,” another man said, though he didn't introduce himself. “You both have interesting stage presence, separately and together. It's different. You're different.” Louis wasn't sure of how to take the comment so stayed silent.  
Banks put a hand on Louis' shoulder. “Different isn't a bad thing, my friend,” he said to the other man. “Louis and Harry are both unique. And unique is exactly what this industry needs at the moment.”  
“Maybe.” The unknown man walked away and Harry raised an eyebrow at Louis, receiving a shrug in return.  
“Don't worry about him,” Tales told them. “He's upset his headline artist is about to find they have no more upward mobility unless they change their strategy.”  
“Oh. That's horrible,” Harry said. He didn't like the thought that the market could turn against someone. What if it turned against him and Louis?  
“Not to worry, Harry,” Banks grinned. “They had a nice long run. He just needs to diversify, now.”  
Tales laughed. “Speaking of diversity. You boys have quite the range. What's your primary target audience? Because I heard a rumor that you could do a few things. Soft rock, alternative, children...”  
“Um.” Louis looked at Banks. Were they allowed to talk about it?  
The man laughed. “Easy now, Tales. They've only just started. No need to cage them in just yet.”  
“Of course.” Tales suddenly looked off to the side. “Excuse me. I need to speak with someone who is about to leave. Give me a ring if you want some air time. We'll figure something out.”  
Banks waited until they were alone before moving them to an unoccupied corner and waving Zayn and Liam to join them. Once the hugs and congratulations had been passed, he said, “I'm going to do a bit more promoting here. Zayn, Liam, if you could join me? Louis, Harry, if you're feeling up to it, you're more than welcome to help, but I know you might want to get back to your children.”  
“It's okay if we leave?” Harry asked. He thought they'd be stuck for hours more.  
The man smiled. “It might actually be best. Having to get home to children will lend to the image of being responsible and mature, which is always a good thing.”  
Harry looked at Louis. He actually did want to get back. They'd been leaving the twins with Barbara, Caro, and Dee too often lately, in his opinion, getting everything settled with their music. He wanted to take care of his kids himself. “I can go by myself if you want to stay,” he offered.   
Louis hesitated. Looking at the three others, he said, “I'll just see him to a taxi and then be back, okay?”  
“I have a car.” Banks took out his mobile. “I'll have the driver take Harry home then come back for me. It'll be easier than finding a taxi in the rain, tonight.”  
“Thanks.”  
It was the early hours of the morning when Louis dragged himself into their flat. He'd had a bit too much champagne, too many desserts, and had too many names bouncing around in his head, but he considered the night a success. He and Harry were on their way.   
Stripping on his way to the bed, he dropped down and groaned in relief. Harry's arm came around him and he silently curled up against the warmth the other boy offered.  
He groaned again when the baby monitor beeped and wailed. “I'll get them, curly. You're still under the blankets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, whatever.  
> Mistakes are my own.


	16. Chapter 16

Three weeks later, Harry rushed into the bakery where Louis and the twins were visiting. His hand was waving wildly, plastic bag gripped tightly. “Oh my God! You'll never believe it,” he cried, dancing up to the tea table.  
“I've got some unbelievable news myself,” Louis laughed. “Who should go first?”  
“Me!” Harry dug into the bag and thrust the contents into Louis' face. “My album's out! I saw it in a window when I was walking by.” Sure enough, Harry's self-titled debut album was right there in his hands.  
“That's wonderful, Harry,” Barbara exclaimed, wiping her hands on her apron as she exited the kitchen. “I'm so happy for you,” she said, drawing him into a hug before Dee and Caro did the same.  
“It's great, Harry,” Louis agreed, not getting up because Gabriel was busy sucking on a bottle in his arms. “Wanna hear my news?” Four pairs of eyes turned to look at him since he'd refused to tell the ladies until Harry was there. “We have a house.”  
Harry nearly dropped the CD. “What? What did you just say?”  
“Karen called just before I left the flat. The sellers accepted our last offer and are ready to sign the contract. She says they're happy a young family is moving in, so there's little chance of them backing out like they have all the times before.” He said it casually, hiding his smile as he lifted Gabe to his shoulder to burp.  
Harry was staring at him, slack-jawed. “We have a house. We have a house?”  
Louis put Gabriel back in his carrier next to his sister's and finally let his smile loose. “We have a house!” He shot out of his chair and into Harry's arms, both boys jumping around in circles in excitement.

Late that night, after Harry once again changed Aurora, he and Louis laid in each other's arms in bed. “I like you, Louis.”  
Louis laughed, stunned by the randomness. “I like you, too, Harry.”  
“I'm glad I met you in the toy store.”  
“Again, I'm glad, too.” Louis wondered where Harry was going with this.  
“Imagine where we'd be if we hadn't met.” There was silence as both boys thought back to those months ago. “I'd be working in the bakery, or trying to work in the bakery with two babies in the kitchen with me. And I'd probably still be living in that awful walk-up, driven to giving blow-jobs to my landlord for a break in the rent,” Harry said in all seriousness.  
“I'd still be all alone here in the flat, jealous of Zayn and Liam's relationship. Still working two jobs and getting hit on by old men,” Louis responded in the same tone. “I wouldn't have an amazing boyfriend, two children, a music career that's just going to get bigger, and I wouldn't have just signed on a house of my very own. I think we lucked out.”  
“I think we got very lucky,” Harry nodded. He pulled a sleepy Louis more snugly against him. “Let's make sure our contracts have a never-ending endorsement for Toys'R'Us, okay? As a little thank you.”  
Louis giggled and completely agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, critique, all that.  
> Mistakes are my own.
> 
> This is the end of the story. So far. I don't have enough for a sequel, but maybe a few one shots. Let me know if you want them or have any suggestions.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to comment or critique or whatever.  
> All mistakes are my own.


End file.
